Operations Director
Fit for Sport

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	Craig J – Fit for Sport
00:00	My name’s Craig. I’m the Operations Director of Fit For Sport.
00:04	Fit for sport, we’re the UK’s leading experts in engaging and educating children. We’ve got 72 sites across the UK, three and a half thousand schools we work with. We look after over a million children each year and we train 25% of the industry in regard to leading children’s activities so, but we ultimately feel that we haven’t started yet and I think our passion to educate and keep children active is what pushes us on.
00:32	Fit for Sport are proud to be involved with the Olympic Park, Queen Elizabeth Olympic park. Our involvement with the Park is around active apprenticeships. What that means is that we’re looking for young people in and around the area and giving them an employment opportunity. That is around an apprenticeship programme. Their work will include working in leisure facilities like this but ultimately working in a community.
00:57	So the skills Fit for Sport are looking for in an employer and lots of young people we employ without a doubt. I guess our core recruitment age is between 18 and 30. We’re looking for our values ultimately. They are fun, enthusiasm, trust, professionalism, role model and to lead a healthy lifestyle.
01:19	Two of the most important ones we need are fun and enthusiasm, so we’re looking for people that are fun, a smile goes a long way and especially in a child’s eyes. So for a young person to stand out the crowd, whether it be coming through on a CV or an application form or an interview is their involvement in physical activity and their passion and volunteering is a fantastic thing. The amount of young people we’ve taken on who volunteered in the Olympics and the inspiration that, that gave them is brilliant.
01:51	The kind of care factor as well, so how they’re brought up as a person’s really important to us so try and get across in an application form your story. Now we’re really keen on understanding people’s stories, as opposed to yes I’m organised, hard working, that’s brilliant we want you to be organised and hard working, don’t not write that, but also why you are.
02:13	I think setting yourself apart from the crowd in regard to looking at deployment and recruitment opportunities and utilising social media effectively, would be a great asset and certainly would interest me. If I saw a YouTube clip, my learning would be I would rather talk to someone than read and again I think that in our sector, in physical activity, in sport, in communication, customer service you get a lot more feel from someone if you actually see them visually, as opposed to a piece of paper so…
02:44	While I was at school I coached children, around sport, so tennis, cricket, football were my main activities and something I found I was good at, so I ended up working with children. Within tennis I dressed up as a crocodile at the weekends, I was in the crocodile club the short tennis club which I loved, those sort of things were certainly interesting but ultimately to see a smile on the kids face and the enjoyment I got from physical activity, I wanted to spread that to children as well.
03:17	Working with children it sort of grounds you and hopefully makes you real as well, makes you laugh at yourself which is, I think a really important trait. Not to take yourself too seriously and certainly children do that.
03:29	My advice to any young person, wondering what they’re going to do in the future or looking at a prospective career is to go with what you’re passionate about. Your passion is what drives someone. Never give in. If someone tells you you can’t, always believe you can and at the end of the day go with your passion and what you believe in.
03:52	End of Craig J

Craig works for Fit for Sport, which encourages young people to participate in and learn more about sport. He is involved in active leisure apprenticeships on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and is looking for young people who are fun, enthusiastic and have a passion for physical activity. When he was younger Craig was a sports coach, working with children.

More information about Sports coaches, instructors and officials

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£23,920

average salary

The UK average salary is £29,813

average weekly hours

There are 37.5 hours in the average working week

61% male

39% female

The UK workforce is 47% female and 53% male

Future employment

Future employment?

Description

? Sports coaches, instructors and officials work with amateur and professional sportsmen and women to enhance performance, encourage greater participation in sport, supervise recreational activities such as canoeing and mountaineering, and organise and officiate at sporting events according to established rules.

Qualifications

There are no formal academic requirements although individuals must have experience in their sport and the relevant coaching and refereeing qualifications. Applicants to coaching courses must normally be over 18 years old and hold a first-aid certificate. Some courses encompass coaching awards within broader programmes of study. NVQs/SVQs in coaching are available in the context of certain sports. Background checks including a CRB check are required for those working with children.

Tasks

Coaches teams or individuals by demonstrating techniques and directing training and exercise sessions;
Controls team selection and discipline and recruits ancillary staff such as coaches or physiotherapists;
Monitors and analyses technique and performance, and determines how future improvements can be made;
Deals with administrative aspects such as arranging matches, contests or appearances for athlete or team, and organising required transport and accommodation;
Provides information and develops facilities to encourage greater participation in sport, and to enhance the standards of participants;
Understands health and safety aspects of various activities and ensures any statutory requirements are met;
Inspects and maintains specialised clothing and equipment;
Manages the playing areas and competitors, starts race, competition or match and controls its progress according to established rules.