Fully Funded Assistant Coach Qualifications: Helping Grow Scottish Skating
British Ice Skating is proud to have secured funding from sportscotland to support ten learners through the BIS Assistant Coach qualification, creating new opportunities to grow and diversify ice skating across Scotland.
We want to help more people discover skating, strengthen existing SkateUK programmes, and support a new generation of coaches to make a lasting difference in their local communities. This funding will help ten skaters start their coaching journey, while expanding the opportunities for people to begin learning to skate in Scotland.
Successful applicants will receive a fully funded place on our upcoming Assistant Coach cohort, beginning in January 2027. The subsidy covers the cost of the qualification only - participants will need to fund their own travel and accommodation if required. On successful completion of the course, they will be qualified to coach Skate UK sessions independently.
For full information about the Assistant Coach qualification and the details for this cohort see here:
Who can apply for funding?
Applicants must be British Ice Skating members who live or work in Scotland and want to develop their coaching skills while helping to create more opportunities for people to get involved in skating. They must also meet the eligibility requirements for our Assistant Coach qualification:
Minimum 16 years old on course start date (22nd December 2026)
Hold BIS Skills 1 or pass the BIS Coach Competency Test
Applicants for the subsidy must have also have the support of a relevant SkateUK manager, rink manager, club manager or senior coach, who can endorse their application and outline the plans for using their qualification.
What could this funding make possible?
We want these new coaches to help Scottish skating reach more people, particularly groups currently underrepresented in the sport. We know that access to ice time is limited in parts of Scotland, so we want to encourage creative approaches that make the most of existing rink facilities and SkateUK programmes.
This could include:
Making existing sessions go further: adding an assistant coach to existing SkateUK sessions to increase capacity (within safety limits).
Opening doors for more people: using available ice time to run focused sessions for disabled people, beginner teenage girls, or underrepresented groups.
Responding to local needs: working with schools, community groups, clubs and rink teams to create opportunities for people who may not otherwise have the chance to try skating.
Proposed sessions must deliver British Ice Skating’s updated SkateUK programme, which includes accommodations for people with different physical abilities.
What will we prioritise?
We want the funded places to create meaningful opportunities, not just new qualifications. Applications will therefore be prioritised in the following order:
Those with plans to add sessions to an existing SkateUK programme that specifically target:
Disabled people, who are currently underrepresented in skating.
Teenage girls who are beginners - an underrepresented group in sport that skating is well placed to attract.
Other underrepresented groups where there is clear local demand.
Applicants living in rural areas or lower SIMD areas, as indicators of financial need.
Applicants who can demonstrate how they will increase coaching capacity within an existing SkateUK programme once qualified.
How to apply?
Interested applicants should complete the application form and submit to Kate.matthewsforbes@iceskating.org.uk by 5pm 18th November.
Applicants and their endorsers will be notified of the outcome of their applications by 30th November.
Building a stronger future for skating in Scotland
By investing in new coaches and encouraging greater collaboration between coaches, clubs and rink teams, we hope to help more people take part in skating, strengthen existing programmes and build a more sustainable future for our sport across Scotland.
If you have the ambition to develop as a coach and help open up skating to more people in your community, we want to hear from you!
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