UKCC RESPOND

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

I have had some correspondance with the UKCC which I have attached below, I did ask if it was OK to place the email on my Blog. I have first attached a summary from the UKCC which explains there position, my own opinion is they have been very open and honest which is a good sign

Please note that UKCC is not an organisation. Sports Coach UK has been identified as the lead agency for the development of coaching and we work with the sports to develop their UKCC awards.We ENDORSE these awards against an agreed set of criteria. All awards to press are also qualifications on the National Qualifications Framework.


Dear Mr. Clarke
I have been alerted to your recent correspondence concerning the UKCC and would just like to elaborate on our reponse a little. With regards to the licence - there is no suggestion at this moment in time that a licence or any licence would become a legal requirement. We have commisssioned research into the feasibility of a licensing scheme for sport, with no preconceptions whatsoever as to whether or not a national licensing scheme is feasible or even desirable, and whether it would be administered by the sports themselves or by an independent body. Many people feel that professional regulation of sport is desirable and indeed I have had several communications from people in martial arts urging tighter regulation of 'coaches'. As I'm sure you are aware there have been several high profile cases recently of child abuse in sport. However at present this is very much an employment/deployment issue. If we take my own sport we do have a licence to practice, and without that it would be difficult for me to gain insurance. Nonetheless if I am able to gain employment without it I am able to do so. Local authorities and clubs hwoever are incresingly vigilant, understandably so, over who they employ.Re. the UKCC - I have considerable sympathy with your views here. I worked for a long time in the arts industry myself and have promoted the similarities here on many occasions. When the UKCC was first mooted there were suggestions of generic coaching courses but these were not generally welcomed by the sports themselves and as we were instructed to work with and through NGBs the UKCC became a sport specific award. There are many vested interets in the sporting world!However the coaching process / coaching skills content at each level of the award is the same across sports - the key point is that theory and practice is integrated, that theory is applied. If you have a level in one sport then you should be able to apply the coaching knowledge in another sport once you have picked up the technical content, which is not that far away from your own suggestion. Please get back to me if you have any further queries or points you wish to raise.


My Reply
Thank you for the reply and taking an interest in my point of view, What you have said makes a lot of sense and I would like to put your reply on my Blog if you agree because I believe it shows that the UKCC is an open organisation and is prepared to listen to people opinionsYour comments on a licensing are very reassuring and to some point I agree that a professional attitude in sport should be a criteria but I do not like the word regulation. Many martial Arts Coaches may want tighter regulation but I sometimes wonder Why they want tighter regulation is it to protect the Public or is to Promote themselves and limit the opposition. In the past when Martial Arts did have an umbrella body like the old Martial Arts Commission many a time the question arose "who regulates the regulators" With regard to child abuse some of the cases have been within the various governing body for sport, To assume any professional regulation would eliminate child abuse is wrong.Insurance is one way of bringing people into line in my own little organisation all Coaches must have insurance other wise they do not coach period, if they do not attend an annual course there insurances is suspendedIt is disappointing the NGB's did not agree to a generic coaching system This in my mind would have solved all problems especially in the Martial Arts world, it seems the NGB's want hold to their power base, with ideas that to teach a sport you need to learn the sport first. This in my mind is so out dated and one can understand why British Sports do not do better in the International scene, I wonder if learning the sport first before you learn to coach could be a hindrance because you are already stuck with pre conceived ideas.One of my concern is not so much with the Martial Arts because to teach you will have to have some practical knowledge of the art you are teaching but what of the Dad who starts kicking a ball around with some kids and the next moment he has formed a team and maybe his only experience has been his enthusiasm, his knowledge grows the more he does, and remember a lot of sports clubs start up that way, these type of people may never have thought of coaching anything they got involved by accident they in many cases become the back bone of sports clubs. I very much doubt they would be involved if they had to attend a course and pay. My other concern is for existing coaches surely any new scheme must value what is commonly called Grandfather rights, I have 40 coaches in my organisation who have said they would not continue coaching is they were compelled to take yet another exam.Many of them have asked the question who will examine the examiners, some of these coaches like myself have been coaching at a very high level for nearly 40 years can any sport afford to lose that wealth of knowledge.It may seem I am anti the UKCC this is far from the truth but I do not think it has yet to come up with the ideal formula but then again you have to start some where.The pursuit of knowledge should be voluntary not through legislation or litigation. Educating the public should be the way forward but sometimes the public do not want be educated that is the hub.
Posted by Martin Clarke at 7:13 PM

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