Coaching FAQs

Q: AM I A COACH?

You may be defined as an angling coach if ANY of the following apply:

You have an angling coach qualification (such as 1st4sport Level 1 or 2)
You provide regular, structured tuition in angling to people of any age
You describe yourself as an angling coach
You advertise your services (paid or unpaid) offering tuition/coaching/instructing/guiding
You provide structured tuition at more than one venue or location
You receive payment for coaching/instructing/guiding/teaching anglers

You are not a coach if ALL of the following apply:

You only give informal tips and guidance, not structured tuition and
You don’t describe yourself as a coach or advertise your services and
You don’t receive payment and
You don’t have an angling coach qualification

If you have a valid and up to date coach licence, you can describe yourself as “an angling coach licensed by the Angling Trust”. The Angling Trust strongly recommends that you obtain an angling coach licence from the Angling Trust if you plan on offering your services as a coach. Licensing offers various advantages for the coach as well as for those seeking coaching services.

Q: DO I NEED INSURANCE?

It is recommended that any angler holds public liability insurance to cover against any damage or injuries that he/she may cause when participating in angling. Public liability insurance is provided automatically as part of the individual Angling Trust & Fish Legal membership package, along with many other benefits. Individual (non-coach) membership is available for adults from as little as £31 per year. The insurance included is appropriate for leisure fishing and ordinary angling club activities. However it does not offer cover specifically for coaching activities, which is part of Licensed Coach membership.

If you can be defined as a coach (see “Am I a Coach?” above) then it is essential that you have public liability insurance, but it is also essential that you hold professional indemnity insurance to protect your activity as a coach. This is provided as part of the coach licence which costs just £45 a year. Coaches who undertake their Level 2 qualification through Angling Trust are automatically offered the means to take up Licensed Coach membership of Angling Trust, and don’t incur the usual annual fee until the end of their first year of membership.

Q: WHY DO I NEED A COACH LICENCE FROM THE ANGLING TRUST?

The Angling Trust as the National Governing Body for angling in England is the only organisation that offers a coach licence. This proves to parents, children, groups, organisations and others that you are appropriately qualified and regularly engage in training in order to maintain the highest possible coaching standards. It also gives them assurance that:

you have met the highest safeguarding standards established and supported by the NSPCC and Child Protection in Sport Unit;
full and appropriate safeguarding checks have been undertaken and that you have been risk assessed;
a record is kept of any reports of improper behaviour that can be shared with others, informing them of any potential risk.

Q: WHAT QUALIFICATIONS DO I NEED?

If you don’t have any coaching qualifications, you would need to undertake the appropriate qualification to be eligible to apply for an Angling Trust coach licence. In addition to the qualification, for Level 2 licensing a coach must hold the appropriate category of Enhanced DBS check, plus current First Aid and Angling Trust or UK Coaching Safeguarding training. The Angling Trust aims to run courses for the following qualification:

Level 2 Certificate in Coaching Angling (Angling Event Lead Coach)

[Although it isn’t currently possible to take a Level 1 qualification, earlier versions of that qualification are still accepted for licensing: 1st4sport Level 1 Certificate in Coaching Angling or Level 1 Award in Coaching Angling. Level 2 coaches can apply for the appropriate category of licensing with either a 1st4sport Level 2 Certificate in Coaching Angling or the newer Level 2 Angling Event Lead Coach qualification. Future reviews of these coaching qualifications with be integrated with the Licensed Coach Scheme.]

These are the only qualifications currently recognised by the Angling Trust for coach licensing. (Please note that the Event Support Volunteer course does not provide a coaching qualification, nor does it offer Licensed Coach status or insurance.) Once a qualification and any required additional training have been attained, you are then eligible to apply to be licensed by the Angling Trust.

If you have a different qualification in coaching angling issued through a different organisation, then please contact us to see if we could help you.

There are and have been various other Approved Centres delivering courses leading to the 1st4sport Level 1 Award in Coaching Angling and Level 2 Certificate in Coaching Angling. Learners who have undertaken their 1st4sport Level 1 or Level 2 coaching qualification through an Approved Centre other than Angling Trust can also apply to be licensed.

Q: WHICH QUALIFICATION OR COURSE DO I NEED?

Coaching fulfils a wide range of requirements and ensures that qualified coaches are able to support many activities. It is important to understand exactly what you want from your career as an angling coach. Do you want to assist with the delivery of Get Fishing events? Do you want to provide help at your local club where your children regularly participate? Do you want to be the new lead coach at your local club?

The requirements of the different roles will help to understand what qualification you will require to ensure you are safe and effective in that role.

Q: WHAT DO THE QUALIFICATIONS INVOLVE?

Qualifications are made up of a number of different sections which focus on different areas required to be completed, in order to ensure that as a coach you are able and effective in your delivery.

For example the most recent Level 1 qualification for Angling Support Coaches was made up of three sections entitled respectively ACTIVATE, DELIVER and REVIEW. Level 2 Angling Event Lead Coach is longer and more intensive to prepare coaches for taking the lead in activities, planning, preparing and evaluating structured coaching sessions.

You need to attend all the sessions of your course and complete all the required activities, assessments and coursework.

Q: WHAT DO I GET WHEN I QUALIFY?

Depending on your qualification, generally you will get the following:

A certificate for a qualification recognised by the National Governing Body.
The chance to take up a Coach Licence to Practise – both L1 and L2 coaches can apply to become Licensed. This licence is offered to those taking the qualification through the Angling Trust’s Coaching Centre, and once issued will need to be kept current in order to benefit from the insurance etc. Please note that it can’t happen without your permission and input — you have to respond and complete certain processes.
Learners completing a Level 2 Angling Event Lead Coach course will be provided with the means to undertake an appropriate category of Enhanced DBS check, which is a requirement of coach licensing. DBS checking is NOT required in order to pass a coaching course, but application details are now normally supplied to Learners in the weeks before their selected course.

Q: WHAT JOB CAN I DO WHEN I QUALIFY?

The Level 1 qualification (not currently available) was a generic award. It qualified you as an assistant or support coach who can assist with delivering angling coaching activities. You would be able to work under the guidance of a Level 2 angling coach. You can still apply to become a Licensed Level 1 Coach, even if your qualification was awarded some time ago. The minimum age is 16 for becoming licensed at this level.

[The new Level 1 Event Support Volunteer Award is to support those who wish to offer voluntary help at Get Fishing Award events or similar. It can provide an introduction helping you towards the pathway to coaching, but it isn’t a coaching qualification and doesn’t offer Licensed Coach status or insurance. The minimum age for this Award as 16.]

The Level 2 Angling Event Lead Coach certificate qualifies you to become an independent coach who can plan, deliver and review linked and progressive angling sessions. It can be taken by anyone aged 18 or over who has an appropriate level of experience in angling. The qualification isn’t awarded specifically in coaching Coarse, Game or Sea angling, but deals with the coaching skills that you’ll apply to your personal area of expertise. You can apply to become a Licensed Level 2 Angling Event Lead Coach.

Please note that holding a coaching qualification or becoming licensed does not guarantee opportunities for employment, whether paid or voluntary.

Q: HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

The cost of the new Level 1 Event Support Volunteer Award (launched in mid-2024) is to be £50. There has been funding for a limited number of free places over the first few months, but whether you secure a funded place or pay your own fee, you will need to self-book via the website.
A Level 2 course (Angling Event Lead Coach) costs £290, runs over 3 days and includes the cost of the first year of Coach Licensing. Applicants normally need to hold a Level 1 qualification or to have appropriate experience and expertise; recent and current training for Emergency First Aid or another suitable First Aid course is an additional requirement for certification. Learners also need to deliver linked and progressive coaching sessions and submit details of these as part of the final assessment.

It has been possible to take courses leading to 1st4sport qualifications in coaching angling through other Approved Centres. However fees and schedules are likely to be different, and courses offered by other Centres will not include the cost of the first year’s Coach Licence to Practise through Angling Trust.

Fees for courses undertaken through Angling Trust currently include Learner registration, tuition, course resources and certification, but not travel, meals or accommodation.

Q: WHERE CAN I FIND DETAILS OF AVAILABLE COURSES AND BOOK A PLACE?

There is now an online booking system for Angling Trust’s public coaching courses which includes details of dates, venue, pre-requisites, course content and Learner fees. Those who hold a confirmed 50% Angling Improvement Fund coaching bursary can also book onto a Level 2 Angling Event Lead Coach course via the website, but must first contact Coaching Centre Administration for an appropriate discount code. Please note that third party funding from a source other than the Angling Improvement Fund is not classed as a bursary for the purpose of website bookings.

Q: WHAT IF WE DON’T HAVE A COURSE ADVERTISED AT THIS POINT WHICH YOU COULD ATTEND?

You can check our online booking facility periodically, since any additions or amendments to the course schedules will be shown there. If there’s no course showing in your region it doesn’t mean that we don’t operate there, but there’s nothing near you available for booking at the moment.

Alternatively you can email [email protected] with your name and location to be added to our Enquiry List. We’ll then include you in an alert when a potentially suitable new event in your region is about to become visible on the booking site.

When we have a new event ready to open for booking we’ll add it to the online facility, but we won’t normally be able to supply details of future events unless they are almost ready to be opened for booking. New details will normally be made public a few days after we receive them. Consequently one question which we can’t answer is “When will the next course be?” When we receive new schedules, the details will normally be on our website a few days later.

Booking for attended courses should normally close on the Friday at least 5 weeks before the start date of a course. After this point you can no longer book online, and although it might sometimes be possible to process a late application, there are no guarantees of a place in such a situation.

Q: HOW DO I BOOK A PLACE ON AN ADVERTISED COURSE?

It should be possible to view the information of any course displayed on the facility, even if it’s not open for applications or if booking has already closed. However if your selected event is “live” and still has places available, click the “Buy” or “Get ticket” button to start the application process.

You’ll be asked to supply credit/debit card details for payment of the Learner fees: the transaction will be processed through a secure facility provided by Stripe.

Once you’ve completed the booking process, the number of places shown as available for that event will reduce by one.

The Coaching Centre Administrator will send you an acknowledgement with some information about what to expect next, and Centre staff will email you a receipt. (Please note that these aren’t automated functions, so you won’t receive those items immediately. If you book over a weekend or at a time when staff members aren’t working, it will take longer for the responses to come through to you.)

Q: HOW DO I BOOK ONTO A COURSE IF CARD PAYMENT ISN’T AN OPTION FOR ME?

If you aren’t in a position to book online because use of a credit/debit card isn’t feasible (for instance if your fees are to be paid by a third party), please contact the Coaching Centre office as soon as possible to explore possible alternative arrangements.

Providing your place has been secured by payment in full of the appropriate fees, we will send out a Welcome Pack approximately twelve days before the start of a Level 2 course, or email the pre-course documents five days before the start of an online event. The postal pack or emails normally include information about location, times, how to contact your tutor with any questions about the course content, plus details of anything else that you will need to prepare or bring with you when you take part.

Q: HOW DO I APPLY FOR A FIRST COACH LICENCE (LEVEL 1 OR LEVEL 2)?

If you undertake a Level 2 qualification through the Angling Trust’s Approved Centre, you should automatically be contacted after confirmation of your booking with guidance for applying for Coach Licensing. The email will include information about arranging the relevant category of Enhanced DBS check as appropriate for your proposed coaching role, in preparation for becoming licensed after qualification. For the new Event Support Volunteer Award there is no option to take up Licensed Coach membership, since it isn’t a coaching qualification.

However if you qualified at Level 1 or Level 2 through a different Approved Centre (for example Sparsholt College or Angling Cymru) or more than 12 months ago, please email [email protected] or ring 0115 822 4538.

Q: HOW DO I RENEW AN EXISTING LEVEL 1 OR LEVEL 2 LICENCE?

There are now automated alerts by email for payment of the annual licence fee, and also for updating DBS checking, First Aid training or UK Coaching/Angling Trust Safeguarding training where appropriate. If you haven’t received such a contact by a fortnight before the expiry date of your licence or training certificate, please contact the East Midlands office by emailing [email protected] or ringing 0115 822 4538.

Q: HOW DO I KEEP MY LICENCE VALID ONCE MY FREE FIRST YEAR IS FINISHED?

Our membership system should send you a renewal mailing when your first licence is approaching its expiry. That will tell you what you need to do in order to renew the licence, and what payment methods are available.

Currently you can pay by credit/debit card over the phone, arrange with admin staff about making an online BACS transaction, or authorise Angling Trust to set up an annual Direct Debit for you. For licence renewal you can also arrange payment by card or Direct Debit through your online dashboard.

The annual fee for a coach licence is £45, irrespective of age, qualification Level or payment method. All currently licensed coaches receive the same level of insurance cover. However coaches must operate within their qualification level (that is, Level 1 coaches must work under the direction and in the presence of a Level 2 coach for their insurance cover to be valid).

Please note that even if an employer, club or other sponsor has agreed to pay your licence fee, you’ll still need to respond to the mailing in order to have your licence renewed. Unless you have a Direct Debit or recurring card payment in place renewal can’t be done automatically, and if your licence isn’t renewed you won’t be covered by the insurance associated with current Coach membership of Angling Trust.

OTHER QUERIES

If you still have questions after reading the available information, do please get in touch:
Angling Trust Coaching Centre
The Old Police Station
Wharncliffe Road
Ilkeston
DE7 5GF

Coaching courses and bookings: [email protected] or [email protected] or 0115 822 4626 or 07940 020 614 (please note Suzy’s normal working hours are Monday to Wednesday 0900-1700)

Certification, DBS checking and Licensed Coach Scheme: [email protected] or 0115 822 4538