Meadowbank Sports Centre is delighted to have entered into an agreement with Leith Athletic Football Club and their coaching partner, Technical Edge, to deliver football coaching.
From 1 September 2023, Leith Athletic who work closely with their partner and preferred supplier, Technical Edge will be taking over delivering the existing classes held on a Wednesday and Thursday at Meadowbank Sports Centre.
There will be no change to the time, duration, or location of the weekly football sessions at Meadowbank Sports Centre. Longer term it is hoped to grow the coaching programme on Mondays to Fridays at Meadowbank, between 4:00 and 6:00pm.
Donald Goldsmith, Manager at Meadowbank Sports Centre said: “Following the success of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia, there has been a renewed interest and enthusiasm for more coaching opportunities in the beautiful game for both boys and girls.
“Like many organisations, there have been recruitment challenges and the lack of available football coaches was limiting the EL development programme at Meadowbank.
“This joint venture is an exciting development and will provide greater opportunities for junior football coaching at Meadowbank and the wider community. Leith Athletic FC has a long history with Meadowbank and a great reputation for children’s football pathways.
“All 36 children across five classes in the Edinburgh Leisure football coaching programme at Meadowbank will have the option to transfer to the new coaching arrangement.
“The 500 children active on Leith Athletics programme will move to Meadowbank for their coaching, providing access to high quality 3G pitches, suitable changing facilities, and the opportunity to bring the training inside if it’s raining.”
As Leith Athletic FC and Technical Edge will be fully responsible for delivering the new football coaching programme at Meadowbank, all enquiries regarding their programme, contact:
Edinburgh’s leading sports and leisure provider, Edinburgh Leisure, will be running a series of coaching academies that will provide nationally recognised qualifications that will enable successful learners to lead safe and enjoyable sport/physical activity.
Targeted at young people aged 16-24 years, and fully funded through Edinburgh Leisure’s Active Communities, The Coaching Academy will assist young people to learn new skills for the job market, using the capacity of sports coaching to transform lives, increase motivation, encourage learning, and support personal development.
The inaugural 2023 intake will be limited to 16 candidates with learning focussed on studying for a sport leadership qualification and sports’ specific coaching course qualifications.
Candidates will gain the SCQF Sports Leaders Level 5 qualification carried out as a week-long course starting Monday 17th and finishing on Friday 21st July at Meadowbank Sports Centre delivered by Edinburgh Leisure.
The Sports Leaders sessions use sport to deliver fun and engaging physical activities with other attendees. Candidates will plan, lead, and evaluate sports/physical activity sessions over a number of tutored hours and then demonstrate their leadership skills as part of an assessment.
Upon completion of Sports Leaders, a series of three coaching qualifications will be delivered once weekly at Meadowbank Sports Centre for the 16 candidates. Attendance at all courses is required.
Those qualifications are:
Scottish Badminton: Badminton Basics course: 27th July 2023
‘Badminton Basics’ is a six-hour course geared towards coaches with little or no badminton experience. It focuses on fun games for beginners, allowing participants to lead sessions at schools and assist more experienced coaches at clubs. Badminton Basics is a core component of the new coaching awards and, as such, is the first step on the pathway.
Scottish Athletics: Leading Athletics course: 3rd August 2023
The three-hour ‘Leading Athletics’ workshop is available for coaches and allows for the training and development of new volunteers, with the aim of supporting existing leadership programmes and attracting more young leaders into the sport of athletics. The ‘Leading Athletics’ workshop is aimed at individuals looking to gain the skills to lead athletics activities for young athletes. Individuals completing the course will be able to support Coaching Assistants and Athletics Coaches.
Scottish FA: 1.1 Introduction to Football Coaching course: 10th August 2023
The Scottish FA Level 1.1 Introduction to Coaching course aims to develop a basic understanding of The Scottish FA coach education pathway and the coach’s learning journey focusing on effective communication and player interaction to develop effective delivery.
Participants will be signposted to Edinburgh Leisure volunteering opportunities within sports venues and holiday programme provision, where they will be immersed in all aspects of the sport and leisure coaching environment. This can lead to employment opportunities within Edinburgh Leisure.
Edinburgh Leisure will host a celebratory closing event.
To apply, click this link or scan the QR code to fill in the initial application form.
Edinburgh Leisure is looking for candidates with a passion for sport, enthusiasm for learning and looking for a new opportunity.
Registration closes on Friday, 30th June 2023. Edinburgh Leisure is looking for initial candidates with a passion for sport, enthusiasm for learning and looking for a new opportunity.
We are hosting a coaching recruitment open day at Meggetland Sports Complex this Monday 24th October between 9am – 5pm and are looking for enthusiastic people to join our swimming and gymnastics teams.
One in five parents wouldn’t know who to turn to for help if they had any welfare concerns in relation to their child’s sport/leisure clubs
Campaign kicks-off to help parents understand their role in keeping children safe and who they can turn to for help
Scottish Athletics, Scottish Gymnastics and Netball Scotland join in supporting the NSPCC’s and Children 1st’s Parents in Sport Week
A group of Scottish governing sporting bodies has backed a joint NSPCC and Children 1st campaign which is raising awareness of where parents can turn if they have concerns about their child’s sports club.
An online survey*, conducted on behalf of the NSPCC by YouGov, has found that 20% of parents** who had children in sports and leisure clubs, would not know who to speak to if they had any worries about a child’s welfare at the club.
Now, Scottish Gymnastics, Scottish Athletics and Netball Scotland are backing Parents in Sport Week (4-10 October 2021) – an annual campaign run by the NSPCC’s Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU) and Children 1st, aiming to equip every parent with the safeguarding knowledge they need, and highlight the important role parents play in youth sport.
Doc McKelvey, Scottish Gymnastics CEO, said: “Many sports around the world, including ours, have had cause to focus and self-reflect following complaints on different issues. Scottish Gymnastics fully supports this campaign which highlights how important parents and carers are in helping keep children and young people safe in sport.
“Gymnast welfare is at the heart of everything we do, and wellbeing and protection is a priority in our clubs and programmes. We have embarked on a long-term project to ensure all our members, parents and carers know more about safeguarding and child protection, how to identify and raise concerns, and give them the confidence to do so. We are grateful to the NSPCC and Children 1st for helping raise awareness and empower parents.”
Claire Nelson, CEO of Netball Scotland and the Strathclyde Sirens, said: “We are once again proud to support NSPCC Scotland’s and Children 1st’s Parents in Sport Week. The campaign this year aims to ensure parents have access to the right resources, tools and information to feel confident that their children can return to, and most importantly enjoy, sport safely.
“After such a challenging year we know that many parents and children are feeling anxious about restarting clubs and activities, so this campaign will provide vital support to empower families to get back to doing what they love.”
David Fallon, Head of Development for scottishathletics, said: “We are delighted and proud to once again support the ‘Parents in Sport Week’ campaign, led by NSPCC Scotland and Children 1st.
“We will work with our clubs and members to promote the campaign toolkit, and encourage as many parents and guardians as possible to understand the important role they play in the bigger safeguarding picture of sport.
“We hope that by promoting this campaign, more parents will ask those important questions around safeguarding when their child takes part in athletics in Scotland, helping us to ensure our clubs are offering a safe, fun, and engaging environment.”
As part of the campaign the children’s charities have issued three key safeguarding tips for parents in relation to children’s sport:
Every club should have a child welfare officer in post – familiarise yourself with who that is and their contact details;
Check if your club has a safeguarding policy in place and understand how that keeps children safe;
Know that the NSPCC helpline is there if you have any questions or concerns. You can reach the helpline on 0808 800 5000 or at help@nspcc.org.uk
Children 1st provides a helpful guide for parents on finding a safe sports club for their child. And, this year, the NSPCC has launched new resources aimed at parents, to help them understand their role in keeping children safe and who they can turn to for help if they have any worries about their child’s sport.
Resources include a free e-learning course for parents on keeping their child safe; a new animation which helps parents identify when something might be wrong in their child’s sport; and the new NSPCC CPSU Parents Hub – an online destination providing safeguarding information for parents.
“Since launching the campaign five years ago, countless sports bodies, clubs and coaches have supported our work and worked hard to develop better relationships with parents and carers.
“This year, we want to provide the tools needed to help parents and carers access important information to help keep their children safe in sport, to spot poor practice and to empower them to speak out. We’re also continuing to support the tireless work sports clubs put into involving parents in their safeguarding process.
“Sport is a huge part of childhood, with many young people spending countless hours practicing, playing and making new friends, and it is so important that every parent feels confident about ensuring their child is safe and having fun.”
Parents who have any worries about their child’s experience in sport or physical activity can seek advice from the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 or by emailing: help@nspcc.org.uk.
