England Boxing Level 1 (assistant) coaches update

Current Level 1 (assistant) coaches who need to update their qualification now have until May 2022 to do so, England Boxing can confirm.

Under normal circumstances, lanyards are not re-issued to Level 1 coaches whose three-year period of qualification has run out until they have either attended a Level 1 Refresher course or progressed to a Level 2 Course.

However, the backlog created by the Covid-19 Pandemic and resulting suspension of England Boxing courses, means a temporary, one-off extension has been granted to Level 1 Coaches whose qualification has expired or is about to expire.

This extra time will give all concerned ample opportunity to book and complete a Level 1 Refresher or Level 2 course, whichever applies.

Subject to government go-ahead and easing of Coronavirus restrictions, Level 1 Refresher courses are expected to return from August (dates to be announced later this month) and Level 2 courses from September (dates to be announced in July).

Remaining qualified

England Boxing is eager to re-establish the Level 1 refresher within the coaching pathway following the Coronavirus Pandemic, ensuring a Level 1 coach updates their knowledge every three years.

However, in order to make this requirement easier to fulfil, England Boxing has now added the option of completing the refresher online, rather than it being mandatory to do so face-to-face, as was the case previously.

The online approach is based on courses the successful delivery of other online courses (such as Level 2 Progression Workshops, Box In Mind and KO Racism), and the feedback from the coaches.

Why refreshers are now being made available online

Other factors that have shaped this decision has been based on scalability (2,000 coaches are required to refresh before May 2022, according to Vault records), effectiveness and time commitment (the online refresher will be three hours of online delivery followed by an online coach reflection form which will take one hour to complete).

The cost and convenience to each coach has also been a consideration, with online delivery saving on the expense of travel and the time taken to do so.

Online delivery also ensures consistency, which is an essential part of supporting and developing coaches across England.

While the majority of Level 1 refreshers are to be online, there is still scope for the course to be delivered face-to-face.

England Boxing will initially provide online opportunities to gauge take-up and engagement, but if regions require a specific face-to-face delivery option, England Boxing will explore the possibilities.

As a guide, 30 coaches will be able to attend an online refresher session, which will involve one lead tutor and support tutor.

There is scope for more coaches, but this will depend on the availability of additional tutors. The online approach will be based on knowledge sharing and will involve small online break-out rooms for discussion and sharing of ideas.

Process of updating qualification

As explained above, all Level 1 coaches are required to attend a refresher course every three years or register and progress to the England Boxing Coach Award (Level 2).

Please see below the process of completing the England Boxing Level 1 refresher:

• Coach to view online courses via the England Boxing website (courses will be available during weekend and evenings).
• Coach registers and completes payment (£30), which includes the learning material and resource, online session, and certification.
• Coach will receive a specific invitation to attend an online session from England Boxing.
• Coach attends the session along with the other members of the courses and is facilitated by the coach educator.
• Ideally, coaches should  have access to a laptop or tablet. However, smart phones also work with the online platform.
• Once an online session has been attended, each coach needs to complete the online reflection form, which will be provided during the course delivery.
• The online form has a function of verbal delivery. Coaches will need to input their reflections via typing.
• Once the coach completes form the online reflection form, England Boxing will issue an updated certificate directly to the coach.