How do I get involved with Leadership for Disability Sport Wales Clubs?
I am new to this, and would like to get involved with a local club, what do I do?
This is fantastic! Disability Sport Wales are always looking for keen people to get involved with their existing clubs, or even set up new ones! There are a few fairly straight forward steps for you to follow in order to get involved:
- Find out who your local Disability Sport Wales Development Officer is, and get in touch with them to find out what clubs are on offer in your area (the contact details for each of the officers is available on the Disability Sport Wales website under ‘In Your Area’ or send an email to the DSWDO in your area through the website.
- The DSDWO will arrange a time to come and meet with you and go through the Disability Sport Wales ‘Volunteering Counts’ pack, it may also be the DSWDO will go down to a couple of sessions with you so that you can see goes on within the club
- A place on a Disability Equity Training course will be arranged for you, as well as the completion of a CRB Disclosure Form, you may then decide to do a leaders award (particularly if you are not sure at this point whether coaching qualifications are for you, or if there are no coach education courses for the sport you are involved with). As far as possible Disability Sport Wales will support you fund all the course costs
- Our primary concern is to get you involved with the club as soon as possible, so as soon as an appropriate CRB Disclosure Form has been returned you can get involved with the club, and then do your DET and Leaders award as you gain experience
I am already involved with a local club, but I haven’t got any formal sports-based qualifications and don’t fancy doing a coaching qualification – what can I do instead?
There are a lot of people like you already involved with sport, and you are the mainstay of clubs and activity sessions. It is great that you are keen to get a qualification or award, and fine not to be interested in the formal coaching pathway. The types of award you should perhaps think about looking at are along the leadership route, and there are really two options for gaining leadership qualifications within Wales, either doing an award through Sports Leaders UK, or doing your Dragon Sport Organisers Award.
Sport Leaders UK
Sport Leaders UK provide a series of nationally recognised courses for people who are interested in working on sport and physical activity related sessions, and are aged 14 years and upward. The qualifications comprise of part practical / tutored time, and part voluntary leadership. The percentage of tutored / voluntary time depends on which award you chose to do:
• Sports Leader UK Day Certificate
This provides an ideal starting point for people from the age of 16 upwards who have very little or no sports leadership knowledge. The Certificate aims to enable candidates to develop generic leadership skills and hopefully increase their confidence so that they may assist with the delivery of simple sports activities for young people
o Need to be 14 years or older
o 6 – 7 hour course (1 day)
o £5.50§
• Sports Leaders UK Level 1 Award in Sports Leadership
The award helps young people over the age of 14 develop their leadership skills. It’s a fun course and offers an insight into the enjoyment one can gain through sports leadership
o Need to be 14 years or older
o 32 hours of practical activity
o £11.00§
• Sports Leaders UK Level 1 Award in Dance Leadership
This Award is intended to give candidates the confidence, motivation and skills to organise groups and encourage others to get involved in dance activity
o Need to be 14 years or older
o 30 hours of practical activity
o £13.00§
Sports Leaders UK Pathway
As a minimum you would do the Sports Leaders UK Day Certificate, and it may be that at that point you decide that you do not want to go any further. However, if you enjoyed doing the Day Certificate, and fancy the challenge on climbing higher on the Sports Leaders UK ladder, then your pathway through the Sports Leaders UK awards may be as follows:
You do not have to do the Day Certificate first in order to do the Level 1 Award in Sports Leadership, or the L1 award to go on and do the level 2 awards (but it perhaps would be useful if you did do it, and be considered good practice), but you do have to have the level 2 award in Community sports leadership in order to go on and do the level 3 award. If you are doing outdoor, low-land based activities then you will have to do the L1 Award in Sports Leadership, and then go on to do the Level 2 Award in Basic Expedition Leadership; but you may then decide in addition to do either the Level 2 Award in Basic Expedition Leadership and the Level 3 Award in Higher Sports Leadership, or just to go to the Level 3 Award in Higher Sports Leadership from the Level 1 Award. The number of combinations and options are numerous, so you should enjoy working your way through the different level awards.
We have a really good junior volunteer but they are U14, is there anything they can do?
Yes definitely! Sport relies so much on good leaders, coaches and volunteers that the sooner people become interested in getting involved the better! Sports Leaders UK have just introduced another qualification which is aimed at young leaders, and is therefore entitled Sport Leaders UK Young Leader Award, and is aimed at 9 – 13 year olds. Click here for more details.
How do I find out more information about Sports Leaders UK Awards, and answer other questions I might have?
There is a very useful website:
www.bst.org.uk (BST stands for British Sports Trust)
or specifically for further details about the awards:
http://www.bst.org.uk/Home/content.aspx?PageID=BecomeSportLeader
Or email address:
info@sportsleaders.org
If you prefer, you can write to:
Enquiries
Sports Leaders UK
23 - 25 Linford Forum
Rockingham Drive
Linford Wood
Milton Keynes
MK14 6LY
Dragon Sport
Dragon Sport is a Sports Council for Wales initiative designed to offer 7-11 year olds fun and enjoyable sporting opportunities. The scheme provides volunteers with a range of resources and knowledge relating to the modification of eight key Dragon sports (rugby, athletics, cricket, football, hockey, netball, tennis and golf). The Dragon Sport Organisers Award is intended to enable children’s introduction to skill development and competition using adapted activities and games. An award of this nature would be useful to individuals who are working in, or interested in working in a pan-disability, multisport environment.
Dragon Sport Organiser Awards are FREE, for a calendar of what is available click here.
How do I find out more about Dragon Sport and the Dragon Sport Organisers Award?
The best way to find out about Dragon Sport is by contacting the Dragon Sport Co-ordinator in your local authority.
