Coaching
Archery GB - 15 March 2021
Coach Licence Renewal
We recognise that coaches work hard to achieve their coaching qualifications, and with that a licence to coach in Archery GB affiliated clubs.
We encourage coaches to remain active and maintain their standards of coaching. However, many people are facing challenging work, personal and financial situations due to COVID and being able to dedicate time to coaching has not been possible. We understand this and want to help make it easier for coaches to return to their role when they are able to without feeling penalised or unfairly treated.
We have received a number of enquiries from coaches and County / Regional Coaching Organisers who are concerned about the impact of COVID-19 on coaching. We have shared our responses to these questions below, to help guide coaches and coaching organisers.
What is Archery GB’s priority when it comes to coaching?
This is an unprecedented time and our priority is on supporting coaches in archery to keep doing what they love. Coaching is a great means to connect with others and enjoy a sense of wellbeing, for both the coach and the archer.
Many clubs have experienced a significant loss in membership and so it is crucial that they have recognised coaches who can help them rebuild their membership base. Licensed coaches are needed more than ever to provide have-a-go’s, beginner courses, and on-going opportunities to be coached in the club.
How is Archery GB supporting coaches?
In the last year we have had to suspend in person training courses and we have worked hard to provide alternative opportunities for coaches to engage online instead. Many of these opportunities can be considered as ‘informal learning’ or ‘social learning’, which doesn’t directly result in a qualification being achieved. However, this does not make the learning any less valid!
Our approach is to encourage coaches to engage in all types of learning; formal, informal and social. This is underpinned by our provision of Learning Curve which promotes the community aspect of coaching, and also how we have restructured our coaching courses into modules, which allows coaches to have more control over what topics they learn about and when.
As an example, we have recently launched the Empowering Archery workshop. This is an excellent stand-alone workshop that all volunteers can access and find useful, and it also doubles up as a module towards achieving a coaching qualification. So, by completing Empowering Archery, you will be one step closer to attaining a qualification, if that is what you want to do.
I have not joined Archery GB this year, but plan to in 2021/22. Will my coaching licence still be valid when I re-join?
When you re-join Archery GB next year, your coaching licence can also be reactivated, so that you can continue coaching from where you left off. When you re-join Archery GB please look at your membership profile to check if your coaching licence has lapsed. If it has, simply follow the usual renewal process via your County Coaching Organiser.
I have been able to continue my development as a coach this year, but mainly through online learning. Does this count towards renewal?
Yes! We are really encouraged by the number of coaches who have engaged with online learning opportunities this year. From joining webinars, online workshops or simply engaging in conversations on Learning Curve; many coaches have been active in their personal development during COVID-19.
We encourage coaches to continue their development through online opportunities and submit this as part of their renewal.
I am a licensed coach and have not been able to coach or invest much time into developing my knowledge this year due to COVID-19. Can I still renew my coaching licence at my current grade?
County and Regional Coaching Organisers are responsible for renewing coaches locally. Archery GB asks County and Regional Coaching Organisers to demonstrate absolute flexibility towards coaches renewing their licence in 2021 and 2022, regardless if they meet the usual requirements or not.
Danny Cameron - 18 January 2021
The committee of Northern Counties Archery Society have approved to support a plan to contribute to the rebuilding of our sport through a coach-led initiative. It has been suggested that Archery GB may lose up to 40% of its membership as a result of the pandemic, so addressing recruitment and retention at grassroots level has never been more important.
The current lockdown is yet another challenge to the sport, but if there is a positive, it gives some time to reflect and plan how the sport can recover going forwards. And the most important asset archery has to do that is through its voluntary sector. The first initiative focuses on the group who have the most direct effect on recruitment and retention of members: its coaches.
NCAS would like to support a proposal which would encourage and support individual clubs within the region to each develop an Annual Coaching Plan. Ultimately, each plan would be unique to each club's needs, but based around a common template to help identify the challenges and opportunities that club faces. The plan would be developed by the lead coach at that club, but would be fully supported by working groups using Zoom, so clubs could liaise and interact through the process to make plans that are relevant and resilient. Other benefits would be the opportunity to network more with other coaches, and also identify where clubs with fewer coaching resources could be assisted.
NCAS has ring-fenced a fund to help support this activity, which will be led by NCAS Regional Coaching Officer and County Coach, Danny Cameron.
If you're a lead club coach and would be interested in participating in this scheme, please could you contact Danny via email (dancam@me.com) by January 31st.
Danny Cameron ComIH
County Coach (Archery GB)
Regional Coaching Officer (RCO) for Northern Counties Archery
If you would be interested in supporting this proposal by participating in your club or as a potential mentor for less experienced coaches, please could you let me know .
If you would like to offer any feedback on the proposal please forward to me and I will collate the responses..
Kath Fitzpatrick
YAA CCO
AGB Senior Coach and Coach Developer
AGB Talent Team
Danny Cameron - 15 September 2020
The Northern Counties Archery Society is running a webinar on the 30th of September for NCAS coaches. The main subject is how to run beginners courses under current COVID-29 regulations, and no doubt other subjects will be covered too.
The session will start at 7:00 PM and run until about 8:30 PM.
Zoom will be the webinar platform.
You can register for the webinar via this link:
NCAS Coaching - Running beginners courses during Covid-19 (Eventbrite)
Danny Cameron ComIH
County Coach (Archery GB)
Regional Coaching Officer (RCO) for Northern Counties Archery
Danny Cameron - 24 March 2020
Given the current Covid-19 situation, we have been left with little alternative other than to postpone the (face-to-face) NCAS Coaching Conference scheduled for the 25th of April.
However, as we'd like to share with as many NCAS coaches as possible the new Session Coach and Development Coach formats (replacing L1 and L2), Archery GB's Lloyd Brown has kindly agreed to lead a short video conference on the same day (Saturday the 25th of April), starting at 10:00 AM, for approximately one hour, including time for Q&A.
You would only need access to a screen (PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone) with speakers and microphone (where you can also access your email, as you'll be sent a link to join), and you can join in from anywhere with a WIFI or 4G connection, not least from home, should you need to be in isolation.
As there is no need to cover venues, lunch and travel, there is no cost for joining this group session, and should the session be well-received, then with the ongoing and much appreciated assistance of Lancashire CCO Garry Partington, we may run further one hour sessions for coaches, so you can continue to access exchanges of ideas and learning, regardless of of the coronavirus situation.
This session will count towards CPD, and registration is via the link below:
NCAS Virtual Coaching Conference (Eventbrite)
With best wishes
Danny Cameron ComIH
County Coach (Archery GB)
Regional Coaching Officer (RCO) for Northern Counties Archery
Grahame Cotterill - 27 June 2019
Sport England have launched a fund intended to help diversify the sports and physical activites workforce.
National Lottery funding is available to engage women and/or BAME communities in positive coaching and volunteering in the sport and physical activity sector.
The Workforce Diversity Great Ideas Fund will be open until the 3rd of July:
Sport England: Fund to diversify the sport and physical activity workforce
Grahame Cotterill
Grahame Cotterill - 27 June 2019
Chris Cushion, Professor of Coaching and Pedagogy at Loughborough University, gave a brilliant presentation on coaching to the Gaelic Athletic Association's Games Development Forum 2017.
I heartily recommend that all coaches watch this:
Chris Cushion presents his talk at the GAA Coaching Conference 2017
Grahame Cotterill
Mental health and wellbeing (PDF)
01226 218518
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