Over recent years, angling has been portrayed in a highly positive light in the media, thanks in the main to the many benefits that being on the bank brings to our overall wellbeing. However, many qualified fishing coaches now fear that the sport is entering ‘dangerous territory’ following a big rise in unqualified and
unlicensed individuals taking people, often children, out onto the bank.
Furthermore, some claim to be able to help people with serious mental health issues through fishing, despite being wholly unqualified to make such claims.
The problem stems from the phrase ‘angling coach’ – a title that, currently, anyone can use. Now, properly qualified coaches want to raise awareness of the issue and also to encourage the use of only licensed and insured coaches in a bid to nip the worrying problem in the bud.
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The need to educate
Ann Myers is a licensed Level 2 Angling Coach and the safeguarding lead at the North West Angling Academy. Many of the individuals they instruct are referred to them by CAMS – the NHS service that assesses and treats young people with emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties. As a result, she is well aware of the importance of being qualified to deal with such people, and is desperate to promote others with the correct licences and training.
“We coach lots of neurodiverse children and are making a positive difference in their lives,” Ann told us.
“Doing things properly is so important, and it’s vital that safeguarding, risk assessments, DBS checks and insurance are all in place.”
“The fact that there are unlicensed coaches who haven’t gone through the correct safety procedures
before taking people onto the bank is a real concern. There are so many things that can go wrong, and ensuring the safety of the kids and individuals taking part is crucial."
“We live in a world where there’s a strong ‘suing culture’, so it wouldn’t necessarily take something awful to happen for there to be serious consequences.”
One area Ann has particular concerns over is when it . comes to coaching those with mental health difficulties.
“I find it very worrying that people are claiming to be experts in mental health, saying they can ‘make you
better’ through fishing therapy, when they’re not qualified to do so. Some people are even charging for the service, which leaves a bad taste in my mouth,” she said.
For Ann, the best solution to the problem is the promotion of the correct protocols.
“Parents and schools need to know that they’re using qualified people,” she added.
“There are hundreds of licensed coaches and schemes, some of which are often free, up and down the
country, but many parents aren’t aware that they exist.”
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Pushing the right practice
The Angling Trust is the provider of coaching licences, with Richard Hadley being their Coaching Centre
Manager. He’s also aware of the growing number of so-called ‘unlicensed coaches’.
“One of the challenges is that there’s currently nothing in the law to stop someone from calling themselves a coach,” Richard explained.
“It’s a common thing, and as people aren’t doing anything illegal, they can’t be stopped.” He believes that it is therefore important to put out the message of what a qualified coach offers."
“To become a Level 2 coach, people not only gain experience in safeguarding, first aid, and becoming insured, but they are able to offer an excellent quality of fishing tuition as well."
“They fully understand the learning process of the participant, putting them at the centre of everything rather than simply showing off their own angling abilities.”
Recently, Richard has seen some of the sport’s biggest names become fully qualified coaches, as they want to offer the best service possible.
“Some of the guys from Tackle Guru – including Matt Godfrey and Frankie Gianoncelli – have gone through the process,” he revealed.
“They felt it important to be qualified in order to deliver their programmes – such as the Talent Pathway – to the best standards possible.”
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Changing Definitions
Interestingly, Sport England is currently trying to set new professional standards for coaches, something which would go a long way to avoiding issues with these unqualified individuals.
“Following the Whyte Review – an independent investigation into allegations of abuse in gymnastics – Sport England want to introduce a copyright for the term ‘coach’,” Richard explained.
“This brings a new professional standard to the industry and would become a title a bit like that of ‘doctor’, that not just anyone can put alongside their name."
“If the work of Sport England is successful, it’d give parents and other great organisations much-needed reassurances. “In the meantime, I’d encourage anyone who’s looking at angling coaching to follow the simple guidelines outlined in this article.”
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