Not everyone is a born sports star or a future Olympian. But you might have the inspirational leadership skills and vision that brings out the very best in our sportsmen and women.

Coaches play a crucial part in achieving sporting excellence. They mix science, human psychology and old-fashioned nous to build training programmes that boost the performance of teams and individual competitors.

Real flair

Your rank is irrelevant. You don’t need previous experience of coaching and your job doesn’t need to be in the fitness training field. What counts is having a real flair for the role of coach. If you are passionate about your sport and are willing to learn, then you can earn coaching qualifications with us.

Simon Taylor
Physical training instructor

‘We might be in the gym doing some core stability work or a bit of hydrotherapy. I do a bit more training at lunchtime and work with the group again in the afternoon. I make detailed notes every day on how people are doing, so I can work out how to help them progress.’

What sports could I coach in?

There are many RAF associations, unions and clubs that are authorised by the RAF Sports Board. Once a sport has been authorised, individuals may qualify to receive funding for coaching and officials courses.

So if you think coaching or officiating could be for you, there’s a wide range of sports to choose from – anything from athletics, fencing, hang gliding and soaring, to water skiing, sport parachuting and mountaineering. The choice is yours.