Coach Award
This course is specifically for individuals who have experience of coaching and are operating in a club environment. This is the standard level of coaching award for all club coaches.
The award gives a basic introduction to sports coaching and general overview of all aspects of the chosen technical specialism: beach, indoor (6v6), sitting or junior volleyball (3v4, 4v4). Learners can expect to cover the following:
- Roles and responsibilities
- The coaching process (plan, do, review)
- Individual technical fundamentals
- Team tactical fundamentals
- Developing systems of play
- Preparing to coach a match
- Sports science
- Volleyball England's Fundamentals Framework
- Volleyball England's Game-Based Approach
By completing the Coach Award, you will be able to:
- Create a coaching environment that meets the needs of the team and individual players.
- Monitor and evaluate coaching sessions
- Prepare a team for a match
- Reflect on your personal coaching practice
Coach Award Courses run twice per year starting in March (May Technical Modules) or July (September Technical Modules). Find out more about the course timeframes by clicking here.
Eligibility
Learners must:
- Be at least 18 years of age on the first day of the course
- Hold a Volleyball England Assistant Coach Award or equivalent*
- Be able to deliver volleyball coaching sessions over the next six months
- Be a coach member of Volleyball England
- Have one of the specified Safeguarding and Protecting Children training and First Aid certificates prior to certification **
- Be able to communicate effectively in English (this includes listening, speaking, reading, and writing)
- Have access to a laptop/tablet, good wifi, and microphone to participate in virtual classroom sessions. Any special learning requirements must be made clear at the registration process.
*Volleyball England Level 1 Award Introduction to Coaching Volleyball; Volleyball England UKCC Level 1 Award in Coaching Volleyball (QCF); Volleyball England Level 1 Coaching Award.
**Volleyball England First Aid and Safeguarding Requirements for the Coach Award.
Recognition of prior learning
Volleyball England’s Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is the recognition of a learner’s prior formal learning. This is learning which has previously been accredited within the education system or National Governing Body (NGB) education programme. This allows the learners exemption from Part 1 of the Coach Award course: the 1st4Sport Level 2 Certificate in Coaching (Sport and Physical Activity).
Further information and how to apply is available here.
Course format
This course is delivered through a blended learning approach with a mix of on-demand, e-learning; webinars; self-study tasks; and face-to-face practical sessions.
The course comprises 2 parts:
Part 1: A regulated qualification: 1st4Sport Level 2 Certificate in Coaching (Sport and Physical Activity)
This requires attendance at two virtual classroom sessions; the successful completion of eight e-learning modules and assessment tasks; planning, delivering and reviewing a programme of training sessions in the club environment; and a final online assessment with a Volleyball England assessor. Learners are advised to set aside 3 -4 hours to complete each module and will be able to access the e-learning on demand.
Sport Structures is our delivery partner for part 1 of the Coach Award. This qualification is endorsed by the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA).
Part 2: Technical module
This requires attendance at two one-day face-to-face practical sessions and completion of a series of guided self-study tasks. A Volleyball England accredited tutor will lead the technical module. The technical modules are: beach volleyball (2v2), indoor volleyball (6v6), sitting volleyball (6v6) and junior volleyball (3v3 and 4v4). Learners are advised to set aside 30 minutes per week to complete the self study tasks.
Once a learner has achieved the Coach Award, they can complete additional Technical Modules without having to repeat part one. Existing Level 2 Coaches can also access the new Technical Modules as stand alone CPD. Please email coaching@volleyballengland.org if you would like more information about attending a Technical Module.
Certification
The Volleyball England Coach Award certificate will be awarded when the learner successfully completes parts one and two of the course and has current first aid and safeguarding certificates.
Course resources
- Technical Module Resource Manual
- Volleyball Fundamentals Observation and Analysis Tool
- Coaching Craft Cards
- eLearning coaching theory
What will the Coach Award qualify me to do?
Coach Award coaches have been trained to plan, deliver, and review safe volleyball sessions working independently or as part of a coaching team. Their training includes the coach’s responsibility for safeguarding, first aid, practice management, mandatory anti-doping regulations and Volleyball England safety policies and procedures. To gain the Coach Award, coaches must have valid safeguarding and first aid qualifications, which provide additional evidence of competence to lead sessions safely.
To remain covered by the Volleyball England’s insurance, coaches must be qualified and registered as a coach with Volleyball England. They must also be able to demonstrate they have taken all reasonable steps to keep everyone involved in their sessions safe, and to make sure that foreseeable accidents are avoided. This means having a written risk assessment that explains the measures in place to keep everyone safe from harm.
Booking information
The course fees are £550. These are subject to an additional service fee of 3.2% + 50p. Please ensure you have read the Volleyball England Education Course Terms and Conditions before booking on to the course.
A list of live courses can be found on the VolleyZone course portal here by selecting 'Coach Award Course' from the event group drop down.
If you see a course listed that you would like to attend, please see the steps below for support with booking on via VolleyZone. Please note, if you do not have the option to add the course to your basket, please ensure that you are registered as a coach for the current season.
- Access the VolleyZone course portal HERE.
- Select Coach Award Course from event group drop down and click search.
- Locate the course that you would like to book onto and make a note of the mandatory sessions.
- To book onto the course, click register.
- You will be prompted to log into your Volleyzone account.
- Once logged in you will be taken to the events area within your account. So that the system can check that you are a registered coach, please locate the course that you would like to book onto.
- Click add to move this to your basket.
- Click checkout to complete payment for the course and confirm your booking.
If Coach Award does not show in the drop down or there are no courses listed, please complete the course interest form to be contacted when the next course is available. Coach Award courses run twice a year.
For further information please contact the Volleyball England Hub via coaching@volleyballengland.org.