Coach development: observations, hours and portfolios

How head coaches and mentors observe a coach, how coaches log hours toward the next level, and what goes in a coaching portfolio.

For coaches, club admins

Coach development under Coaching shows every coach's hours toward the next level, their last observation and their focus. Each coach has their own My coaching page.

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Observing a coach

1. Open the coach and press Observe.
2. Rate each of the seven areas Not yet, Developing, Secure or Excellent: Role and conduct, Inclusive delivery, Plans and prepares, Leads activities, Feedback to players, Safety and safeguarding, and Reflective practice.
3. Finish with Keep doing and Next focus, then share it.
4. The coach writes their own reflection before they can read your feedback.

The pathway checklist

Pathway checklist follows Ice Hockey UK's coaching regulations for 2026-27. Every level needs an Enhanced DBS check (through IHUK and Vibrant Nation, marked done only by the safeguarding lead), Level 8 skating, Safeguarding Essentials every year and IIHF Integrity: Focus on Coaches every year. Level 1 adds Basic First Aid, four IHUK e-learning modules and the Level 1 ice hockey course. Level 2 adds four more modules, the Level 2 ice hockey course and UKAD Coach Clean every year. Each item has Go to the course.

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• A coach's level comes from their latest verified licence on Compliance. Until then they show as Level pending.
• Pre-course modules show Not needed for anyone who did the in-person course before 1 July 2026.
• Head coaches and club admins can Check all to sign off everything waiting at once, never on their own record.

Hours toward the next level

Sessions a coach helped on are listed under Did you coach these? with a role and minutes to log. Log other coaching covers anything else. A head coach signs the hours off; nobody can sign their own. 25 signed hours count toward Level 1 and 50 toward Level 2.

The portfolio

• Videos of the coach's own coaching, up to two hours each, with comments pinned to moments.
• Reflections: what went well and what you'd change next time.
• Mentoring conversations with a named mentor, and one to three development goals.
• Documents such as certificates and plans, and CPD: over three years, at least 2 activities for Level 1 and 4 for Level 2 and above.

The Coaching library holds the club's own guides, session templates and videos. Anything marked Required shows who has read it.

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