With 43 courses and 430 delegates this year’s Coaching Champions event which took place in Oban last weekend (4 – 5 February) was an enormous success.

Delegates signing up to our swimming courses are now among our newly qualified new Level 1 and Level 2 swim teachers.  Also in the pool we ran a series of half day CPD courses for swim coaches presented by expert tutors from across the country on swim strokes, technique and training.

An expanded fitness instructor programme in conjunction with Fitness Scotland and Jordan Training Academy brought people from across Scotland to learn new skills for their gym clients and members.

Growth of interest in new sports to Argyll and Bute was encouraging with a full volleyball instructor course and the basketball course attracting great numbers. Traditional and indigenous sports of football and shinty as usual had good support and netball’s getting started course offered those new to the sport great help.

For the energetic, the first triathlon coaches course brought keen and fit people from three of our islands – Tiree, Islay and Mull as well as the mainland. Elevating Athletics and Run, Jump Throw offered teachers and club helpers the wisdom and experience of Scottish international coach Sandy Robertson. Keeping on the running theme, the new ‘batch’ of jog leaders were put through their training, and some experienced jog leaders went one stride further with the brand new Scottish Athletics Advanced Jog Leaders Course to take their advanced skills back to their groups.

The event also supported other club officials to develop their club by offering child protection, first aid, nutrition, working with children and positive coaching workshops provided by Children 1st, Sports Coachuk and sportscotland. 

Outdoor courses were provided in partnership with Stramash Social Enterprise which saw brave souls venturing out on mountain skills and navigation and kayaking courses despite the weekend weather! 

This year, due to a number of more advanced courses, some are taking place over a number of weekends.  This extends the visit of top class tutors and coaches of sport to our area and helps improve the standard of our local coaches to pass their new found skills on to club members.

Spokesperson for third sector and communities Councillor Rory Colville said, “Congratulations to everyone who took part in this year’s Coaching Champions.  I would like to thank the team who spend so much time making sure that every year this event gets better and better.   They are instrumental in the development of sports coaching right across the Argyll and Bute Council area.”