Coach & Volunteer Academy Impact Report 2024/25
Unlock your potential
The 2024-25 academic year marks the final year of our current 5-year strategy for the Coach & Volunteer Academy (CVA). With the CVA continuing to grow in recent years, we have prioritised providing a diverse range of high-quality opportunities and masterclasses to enrich students' personal and professional growth.
Introduction
In the past year, the Coach & Volunteer Academy has made exceptional progress, in developing and expanding its talented and passionate team within Loughborough Sport. With the number of opportunities to work within and across sport and physical activity continually growing, more students have been able to actively participate in volunteering both within Loughborough Sport and with our external partners.
This report aims to highlight the valuable contributions of our volunteers and placement students throughout 2024-25, emphasising the essential role they play within the Loughborough Sport ecosystem. Furthermore, it aims to acknowledge the accomplishments and experiences of the exceptional volunteers we have had the privilege to support and collaborate with.
A year in review
- 107,909 hours logged through the CVA portal
- Over 200 courses, masterclasses & workshops delivered.
- 432 volunteering opportunities uploaded to the CVA portal.
- 914 volunteers regularly logging hours.
- 51% of CVA Alumni in sports related roles
- Student volunteer led events; Para Sport Takeover, EmpowerHer, Student Officiating Conference, and Volunteer recognition weeks
Coaching
Throughout the 2024/25 year, the CVA delivered 59 Coaching CPD (Continued Professional Development) workshops, alongside focus groups, to understand how we can better support our student workforce. Additionally, we continued to provide opportunities for students to complete their minimum operating standards such as Safeguarding & Protecting Children & First Aid.
This year also saw the third cohort of the Female Coaches Leadership Programme, which brought together a talented cohort of female coaches and linked them with world leading coaches from the university. The programme offers coaches a development opportunity to dive deeper into them as coaches, their practice and philosophy, as well as their development as a leader. The CVA look forward to the FCLP evolving further over the coming academic year. The programme is to be run again entirely in-house, allowing for further evolution of the content and delivery, including observation sessions with the likes of Loughborough Lightning and England Roses.
The AU Coach Coordinator programme ran for another year, with Charlie Hogg taking a senior coordinator role, alongside 1 returning and 3 new coordinators. We were able to continue working with AU clubs who had requested specific support in their Workforce Development Plans (Boxing, Cricket, Gymnastics, Fencing, Rowing, Squash and Table Tennis).
Examples of projects the coordinators helped guide were; building a database of all the AU coaches at Loughborough and highlighting areas for recruitment and support, creating a minimum standards for coaching at Loughborough and supporting the creation of a new coach development programme. The team have also been involved in running coaching qualifications on campus and specific workshop sessions for coaches, as well as individual club coach meetings to inform them of the CVA and the support available and advertising on the CVA portal for volunteer coaching roles for the 24/25 season.
The CVA have also partnered with Coaches Club CIC to deliver the Step To Coaching Programme, designed to enhance student employability and provide real-world coaching experience. The programme includes Level 1 and 2 Multi-Sport Coaching Awards, alongside key CPD and compliance training such as First Aid, Safeguarding, Behaviour Management Strategies, and Inclusion Activities.
Students gain access to hands-on coaching placements with local organisations, develop their skills in real environments, and earn certificates upon completion. The programme supports participants in building confidence, improving communication skills, and understanding inclusive coaching practices, with many students using it as a stepping stone toward careers in PE, community youth clubs, and coaching in schools.
We officially continued the Loughborough Coaches Community Network sessions. These sessions are opportunities where over 40 coaches come together across a variety of levels and coaching network at Loughborough. It involves sharing their experiences and passion for coaching.
This year, the CVA introduced two new in-house CPD workshops – Coaching Your Peers and Becoming a Coach – to further support our student coaching workforce. These sessions provided valuable insight into managing peer relationships within a coaching setting, understanding the journey into coaching, and building the confidence to take on new opportunities. Both workshops were well attended and received positive feedback, with students highlighting the practical advice, interactive discussions, and clear pathways to progression as key takeaways. These sessions have helped strengthen our coaches’ ability to navigate real-life challenges and feel more supported in their development journey.
Next academic year, the CVA will continue to develop student coaches through our Coach Progression Programme, giving participants access to a comprehensive CPD series designed to build confidence, skills, and connections across the coaching network. The programme runs from October to April and includes sessions on Coaching Your Peers, Session Planning, Effective Partnerships, Inclusion in Practice, Student Coaching Resilience, and three Coach Community Network events to share learning and best practices. Coaches will receive a Coaching Pack (handbook, notepad, whistle), exclusive Kukri kit access, and priority booking for CVA events and perks. Sessions will take place on Tuesday evenings, 6:30–8:30pm, at Dan Maskell Tennis Centre, with sign-up available via the Loughborough Sport App
Highlights
- Over 59 masterclasses & workshops on a variety of coaching environments
- 16 Coaching Qualification Courses Delivered
- Continued Coach Coordinator programme – bridging the gap between CVA and AU
- Over 20 successful bursary applications related to coach development
Coaching Success Stories
Officiating
The Officiating strand has continued to provide development opportunities for existing volunteers, alongside training and deployment pathways for those stepping into officiating for the first time. Our Officiating Hub Managers have remained central to this work, offering guidance, resources, and workshops to support officials at every stage of their journey. In Football, our Hub Managers oversaw the latest phase of the redeveloped officiating offer, with 24 referees trained and deployed into IMS fixtures. Five members of this year’s cohort entered the Level 6 promotion pathway, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to referee development and retention.
We also delivered six CPD events on campus in collaboration with Leicestershire & Rutland County FA, which brought together student referees and county officials to share knowledge and build connections. Through this work, several student referees achieved promotions ranging from Level 6 up to Level 3, underlining the strength of the Football Officiating project and its impact on progression pathways.
Within Hockey, deployment onto AU fixtures was fulfilled by over 23 umpires. 11 people gained their L1 qualifications throughout the season. In addition, we supported 5 Level 2 umpires and 2 International umpires.
Over 50% of the programme’s umpires are women, 3 times the regional average. This was supported with CPD sessions on campus this year. Student officials supported the schools national finals as well as local school cup games, and we have re-established a relationship with Midlands Hockey and continue to grow a very close partnership with England Hockey and the NPUA.
Within Rugby, we have continued to strengthen the programme by supporting a cohort of new and developing referees through deployment within IMS leagues and ongoing mentoring.
Basketball has now completed its first full year as an officiating programme, proving a great success. 12 students took part, supporting IMS fixtures and developing their skills – with some progressing to officiate BUCS-level games.
Across these sports we aim to continue building interconnected officiating communities. Hub Manager general meetings and the Officiating Conference have been key in fostering collaboration and a sense of community across programmes.
We have also established a Female Officiating Network – creating a dedicated space to promote and nurture female representation, progression, and visibility in officiating.
Looking forward, one of our central goals is to continue strengthening officiating communities within and between our five focus sports – Football, Rugby, Hockey, Netball, and Basketball. Each will benefit from sport-specific CPD and training, underpinned by holistic officiating support.
The CVA remains committed to providing a student-led, professionally supported environment that empowers officials, expands opportunities, and continues to remove barriers – particularly for women in officiating – to ensure sustainable growth across all strands.
Performance Support
Over the past year, the Performance Support strand has played a key role in supporting student volunteers and placement students across our performance programmes. These students have benefited from practical experience, access to continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities and one-to-one mentoring. Involvement spans across multiple disciplines, including Performance Analysis, Nutrition, Physiology and Strength & Conditioning. Our goal is to develop confident, skilled practitioners who are well-prepared to work within the performance support environment.
Stage 1 of the Performance Practitioner Programme was a huge success this year, with a cohort of over 35 students engaging with the CVA to build their knowledge on the performance support landscape. Students connected with Loughborough Sport staff, took part in tailored CPD workshops to enhance their professional skill set to further develop the students’ skillset.
Impact of the Programme
"My biggest gain from this programme was guidance into which field I would like to pursue in the future. Attending these sessions helped me understand the different pathways that I can take"
"I enjoyed the networking session. It gave me the chance to speak to the specific performance leads in the department I would like to pursue a career in. In doing this I gained valuable information into experience and qualifications that are important outside of my degree"
Performance Support Highlights
- 6 Performance Analysis Guest Speaker Sessions & Workshops
- 24 CPD Sessions for Performance Support Placements and Volunteers
- Over 18,000 Hours Logged in Performance Support
- Over 70 applications for Stage 1 of Performance Practitioner Programme
Success Stories
Media, Marketing and Communications
The Media, Marketing and Communications Programme provided over 30 students with hands-on experience in sports media. This programme encourages volunteers to develop key skills in content creation, social media strategy, photography, videography and communications planning. The programme ran eight CPD workshops and provided mentoring opportunities with industry experts. By supporting the coverage our performance teams and recreational events, students play an essential role in enhancing the visibility and impact of sport across Loughborough University.
Featured Workshops & Masterclasses
-
An Introduction to LinkedIn
Dawn Spendlove (Love Marketing)
Nov 2024 -
Photography
Jack Tompkins
(Ben & Jack Studio)
Dec 2024 -
An Evening with MMC Alumni
Jennie Bowmer
March 2025 - CVA Careers In Sport Panel Evening
May 2025
Success Stories
Event Management
This year we saw a significant increase in opportunities for students to get involved in the events industry. From external events hosted on campus such as BUCS Big Wednesday and Nottingham Forest Academy fixtures, as well as major internal events such as Loughborough International Athletics and Loughborough Lightning fixtures.
Some of the opportunities included:
- 100 Events volunteers supporting BUCS Big Wednesday across campus in March 2025
- England Futsal Euro Qualifiers
- BUCS Super Rugby & National League 2 Fixtures
- England Hockey State School Festival
The 2024/25 Loughborough Sport Events Programme continues going from strength to strength, with alumni Laura Hillyard playing a key role in coordinating the programme. Students took part in a variety of sessions focused on areas such as Sports Presentation, Utilising the Volunteer Workforce, Event Security and other aspects of event management, gaining hands-on experience and deepening their industry knowledge. Students on the programme attended the Motorpoint Arena for behind-the-scenes access at the Loughborough Lightning netball fixture in May.
"That volunteering in such sport events is a golden opportunity and I'm looking forward to being part of it"
"There's lots of cool opportunities out there if you take them. The importance of creating magic moments"
Event Management Success Stories
Volunteer Zambia
Volunteer Zambia is a group of 7 UK Higher Education Institutions who have shared a commitment to support the development of sport in Zambia through the ‘Volunteer Zambia’ project as part of The Wallace Group. The Wallace Group is a partnership created in 2004 by several leading UK universities to support sports development for young people with a key focus on Women and Girls in Zambia. The partnership embraces: 7 UK universities (Cardiff Metropolitan, Durham, Edinburgh, Loughborough, Northumbria, St Andrews, and Stirling), UK Sport, Basketball England, England Netball, Volunteer Zambia Foundation & Sport in Action.
In the summer of 2025 four students and two staff members spent eight weeks in Zambia working with Sport in Action (The largest Zambian Sporting NGO), to deliver sport development programmes within the Community Sport Hubs based across the capital Lusaka.
The students impacted the local Community Sport Hubs by developing the 3 key sports (basketball, netball, and women’s football), through working with Zambian volunteers to develop their skills within coaching and coach education, officiating, leadership, and wider volunteering in order to create a sustainable sport offer.
Each year that students go to Zambia, they continue to build the capacity by creating sustainable opportunities for people to play and progress in sport. This year the project added a Media, Marketing, and Communications Officer – this dramatically improved the visibility and profile of the project.
Additionally, the project saw one of our own Loughborough student officers from a previous cohort return for a year-long placement in-country with Sport In Action, supporting further work around sport development across Zambia.
Success Stories
CVA Alumni
We continue to stay connected with students after they leave Loughborough to learn how the CVA’s development opportunities have supported them in securing employment. The achievements of our graduates never fail to impress us, and their success is strongly reflected in the results of the CVA graduate and alumni survey.
- 97%
- of graduates reported that volunteering with the CVA enhance their overall university experience
- 95%
- of graduates are currently in some form of further education or employment
- 51%
- of graduates in full time employment in sport
- 88%
- said that volunteering provided relevant experience for their CV and developed their professional skills in problem solving
- 93%
- said that volunteering developed their professional skills in communication and Interpersonal skills
Supported Programmes
In addition, to the strands that we directly deliver, we also support other programmes within the Loughborough Sport offer to recruit, train and deploy an appropriate workforce that then goes on to deliver an exceptional student experience. This has included providing ongoing training throughout the year to 43 student leaders across the executive committees of the Athletic Union, Intra-mural Sport, Social Sport, Para Sport and Recreational Sport programmes.
This year we also supported the Athletic Union to deliver their annual Athletic Union Committee handover training which was packed full of sessions to ensure they are provided with the knowledge and skills to set their club up for a successful year.
4.6 stars out of 5 for delivery of the workshops
"I learnt all of the opportunities we provide and the collaborations we have with the AU and IMS, as well as who to contact."
Success Stories
Recognition
Recognising and rewarding volunteer contributions has always been a core part of our objectives and values, as has celebrating the successes of the dedicated workforce we support. Over the past year, we continued to acknowledge the vital role our volunteers play within the Loughborough Sport ecosystem.
We’ve celebrated their achievements and shared their journeys through our Success Stories, and hosted a number of appreciation events. These included a Thank You Event delivered in collaboration with Recreational Sport and Social Sport’s Beach Fest, as well as the CVA Awards, which honoured outstanding volunteers for their commitment and hard work throughout the year.
Over the course of the year, more than 200 volunteers reached the 50-hour milestone, and 80 surpassed 250 hours - resulting in over 850 milestone rewards being distributed. These figures highlight the remarkable commitment of our volunteers in giving back to Loughborough Sport and supporting our programmes.
Follow us
We are already underway with this academic year and continue to unlock volunteer’s potential through the high-quality opportunities at Loughborough University.
Stay up to date with our activities, opportunities, and the stories from volunteers by following us on social media:
Contact us
If you are interested in working with the CVA or getting involved, please contact us at cva@lboro.ac.uk. For more information on the CVA, please head over to our website.
Get involved with the CVA