At Fitmums & Friends, we are fortunate to have a fabulous coaching team who motivate and support our members. Could you join them? We always need people like you to become coaches, assistant coaches and athletics leaders – in particular to work with our junior* athletes in Beverley and Hull.

If you’re thinking 'well, yes, I’d love to do that but I’m not really sporty / I don’t have the time / I don’t have any qualifications / insert a. n. other reason here', please read the stories below. Plenty of people like you have started coaching despite thinking those very same things. And they’ve discovered just how rewarding it is. We provide all the training and support you’ll need and the kids provide the enthusiasm and energy that mean you go home from a session with a huge smile.

People like...Barrie

Barrie has been a coach with Fitmums & Friends for around eight years now. He is in his mid-fifties and has a daughter Jasmine, in her mid-twenties.

“I took up running in the early 1980s after participating in cross country runs at school. I remember the excitement of both the training and the competition at that young age. The sense of achievement and being part of a group with the same interests was exciting and motivational. I had a lengthy hiatus from running and only started again in my forties. I fell in love with the sport again and have not looked back since.”

What made you decide to become a Coach?

“Having re-established my love of running, I realised that I wanted to give something back to the sport and what better way than to encourage the development of young athletes. I have been a secondary school teacher for a long time and when I moved to a new school, I was keen to set up running groups for both students and staff. As I wasn’t PE-trained, I wanted to ensure I was leading and coaching in the way it should be done. I completed my LiRF (Leadership in Running Fitness) and when I started my CiRF (Coach in Running Fitness) qualification, I was keen to visit a group of athletes and coaches in order to get some invaluable observations done. At this point, I found out about the Fitmums & Friends 10 to Teens group in North Hull. I asked a coach there if I could go along and I turned up to help with a session. I asked if I could go the next week too and, well, the rest is history, as they say! I stayed and became a coach with the group and have continued with other areas of coach development over the years since then, completing my AC (Athletics Coach Level 2) and EG END (Event Group Endurance Level 3) qualifications.”

What do you love about the role?

“It makes me smile. An odd thing to say perhaps, but with all the pressure I feel from my teaching job and with the difficulties we have all faced over the last few years with pandemics, politics and war, my coaching sessions are a time to smile and to enjoy bringing out the amazing talents of the young athletes – I really enjoy coaching them to help them to be the best they can be. The progress they make is quickly noticeable and every week I am amazed at the dedication, skill, maturity and passion that is on display.

“I also love to improve my own knowledge of athletics and coaching so that I can be confident in delivering the sessions.”

What would you say to someone who is interested but not quite sure about becoming part of our coaching team?

“Go for it. You won’t look back, that is for sure. You will be supported by a coaching team that cares for each other as well as for the athletes. You will never be ‘thrown in the deep end’, that is not the Fitmums & Friends way, so please don’t be anxious about getting involved. The satisfaction you will feel from giving some of your time and effort for the benefit of others is enormous and will be matched by the excitement of seeing athletes improve. I think that most of all you will be delighted to see the smiling faces of the athletes doing a sport they enjoy!”

People like...Alex

Alex is a dad, works full-time and loves to run. He is an Athletics Leader.

What made you decide to become an Athletics Leader?

“After watching my wife and me run with Fitmums & Friends at parkrun and other events, my son couldn’t wait to be old enough to join Fitmums & Friends Juniors. He loved the sessions, attending two a week at one point! I could see that the coaches enjoyed the sessions as much as the kids did, but I didn’t think I had the time to help – after all I worked full-time. Then I realised if I could sit on a bench and watch the session, I could help at the session!”

What do you love about the role?

“I love seeing the kids having fun and improving their skills and fitness. I also feel that I’ve gotten to know other parents better through helping and the coaches too, so I now feel more part of the club.”

What would you say to someone who is interested but not quite sure about becoming part of our coaching team?

“Go for it! It’s really not a massive time commitment. The training, which was excellent, took just a few hours on a weekend. And as an athletics leader, you are always helping a coach, so there’s no planning or prep to do outside of the session.

“And it’s not as scary as it might seem. You’re never asked to do anything that you’re not capable of doing – there’s no pressure. You can start by just leading the warm up, for example. In fact, the toughest part of the role is deciding which child gets the 'Athlete of the term' award!”

If you’ve read this far, you’ll know we don’t need people to have particular qualifications or experience to join our coaching team – we just need people like you. We will provide full training and support – you just need to be enthusiastic, willing to learn and available to help at a weekly session (term time only). We’d love you to join us! To find out more or express interest, please contact Sam on info@fitmums.org.uk or 07870 654586. Thank you!

*If you are interested in coaching at our adult sessions, we need you too! Please contact Sam on info@fitmums.org.uk or 07870 654586 to find out more or express interest.