ACCREDITATION

LTA Coach Accreditation

Coach Accreditation is the LTA’s professional membership scheme for coaches. Its purpose is to provide relevant support to British coaches and their businesses so they can deliver great on-court experiences and grow their programmes.

In 2019 it became mandatory for all Level 3-5 coaches operating at LTA registered venues to be LTA Accredited. Building on this progress, to be eligible for 2021-2022 LTA registration, venues must meet the following criteria:

• All activity undertaken by Level 2 and above qualified coaches at LTA registered venues must be undertaken by LTA Accredited coaches.
• All activity undertaken by Level 1 coaching assistants, tennis activators and tennis leaders should be in line with the LTA deployment guidelines (available soon).

In holding LTA Accreditation, it means coaches will have completed the appropriate safeguarding training, first aid training and undergone Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks if working with children. If working in Scotland they are required to be a member of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme. This will provide greater clarity to parents and players when selecting a coach. Players that choose an LTA registered venue will know that the activity delivered by a Level 2-5 coach is conducted by an individual who is trained in safeguarding and has the appropriate qualifications, and that Level 1 coaching assistants, tennis activators and tennis leaders are operating in line with LTA deployment guidelines.

The coaching workforce plays a key role in keeping those involved in our sport safe, and are often the front line of tennis delivery. The implementation of safeguarding standards for coaches is therefore a crucial next step following the implementation of the venue standards in 2018.