Sports campaign group wants coaching help – ASAP

Campaign group After Schools Activity Scotland (ASAP) has gone on the offensive with a petition to the Scottish Parliament calling for more support for amateur sports coaches.
ASAP chairman Stephen Koepplinger said: ‘Amateur coaches who have no formal training and certifications make valuable contributions to sports in many parts of the world. While professionals play a role, they are a part of the equation. Professional athletes need professional coaches; amateurs need amateurs.’
US-born Stephen’s petition is ‘Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to carry out a review of support mechanism for amateur coaches. Ensuring that amateur coaches have non-discriminatory access to resources (human, physical and financial) enjoying full support from existing publicly-funded organisations.’
Stephen is a long-time campaigner for more sports facilities in Glasgow. In 2008, he warned a parliamentary committee at Holyrood: ‘From my perspective as a classroom teacher in Glasgow, teens need more activities to do after school. I fear if I were one of the 300 000-plus students in Scottish High schools today, I’d probably end up going down the wrong road.’
Launching the petition, ASAP reminded the public: ‘Scottish teenagers rank the worst in the world on parameters such as drinking spirits, smoking (including heavy cannabis), drug use, etcetera. We have far too many running tracks, tennis courts and football pitches that are neglected. We need to change.
‘The ASAP model follows the American sporting strategy that promotes amateur coaches who have police checks, an induction, and appropriate insurance,’ he said. ‘Many argue that using amateur coaches increases risks to an unacceptable level. However, if this were true, American legal sharks would quickly profit from any unsafe practice.
‘The fact is that the American strategy is safe and provides an excellent tool for the management of youth culture.’
Stephen added: ‘If one of our volunteers wants to facilitate a game of basket ball or tennis or football at a venue run by an organisation such as Culture & Sport Glasgow, they will be required to have a Level 2 coaching certificate. The time this takes, let alone the cost involved, is too much for a huge proportion of potential volunteers. I come from the USA and there are no such restrictions there. It seems crazy that we are so risk averse here. It gets in the way of our young people’s access to sports.’
The petition can be read and signed here:

http://epetitions.scottish.parliament.uk/view_petition.asp?PetitionID=366