During lockdown, many members of the coaching community have invested time in upskilling using resources made available by UK Coaching. In fact, per research statistics from the organisation’s own Twitter polls, around 50% of coaches want their learning and home CPD opportunities through online workshops and webinars.
Gannon expects this trend to continue and has primed UK Coaching to adapt its digital learning products to be more modular; developed to fit in with the increased demand for online learning. In the coming weeks, the enhanced learning and development platform – ukcoaching.org – will also recognise people from certain areas within England, whereby they will get subsidised or potentially free coaching resources by registering on the website, as Gannon says, “to invest in communities that need it the most.”
Last week, as the Government gave permission for some one-to-one coaching activity to take place outdoors in England, UK Coaching worked with Sport England and CIMSPA to offer coaches guidance on the phased return of sport and physical activity.
Hollingsworth is aware that the disruption caused by the tragic events of the pandemic has provided an increased awareness in the UK of the need for sport and physical activity, but that there remains a real challenge across different areas of society to drive an uplift in participation.
Hollingsworth said: “Sport England is finding that people are understanding that sport and physical activity can be important in their lives and is important to their health and well-being and we have to collectively build on that. We will seek to be more collegiate and responsive and [show] that physical activity, and the benefit that sport plays in society, is at the centre of our thinking.”
The podcast featuring Tim Hollingsworth and Mark Gannon is now available to listen to at ukcoaching.org.