Officials

Volunteers lie at the heart of our sport, with Officials an integral part of the volunteer workforce.

For information on the transition of officials licencing to scottishathletics please expand the section below.

Officials Transition

We recently announced that each of the Home Country Athletics Federations (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) were assuming responsibility for the licensing of all coaches and officials (Level 1-3) from UK Athletics.

A link to the announcement is available here.

The transition date of 1st October has been extended to the 1st November. When scottishathletics will become the licensing authority for any licensed Official at levels 1 to 3 with a permanent residence in Scotland from 1st November 2023.

For this transfer to happen and for you to remain licensed and benefit from comprehensive public liability insurance beyond 1st November you will need to accept revised license Terms and Conditions (T&Cs). These T&Cs are specific for Level 1 to 3 Officials with a permanent residence in Scotland.

The process for accepting our T&Cs is straight forward. All you have to do is follow the instructions below:
• Log into your profile on Athletics Hub by clicking here
• Click on your name at the top of the menu on the left hand side of the screen to navigate to your profile.
• In the ‘User Details’ section, scroll to licence terms and conditions for your role (coach and / or official)
• Click the link to download and read the relevant terms and conditions
• Tick the relevant box (underneath the link) to accept the revised T&Cs
• Once accepted you will continue to be licensed and insured after 1st November and no further action is required

A visual guide to accepting the Terms and Conditions is available by clicking the link below.

A Visual Guide to Acceptance

Whilst in your account please ensure all other details and preferences are up to date so we can ensure you continue to receive vital communications from us.

Please note if you are a licensed coach and official you will need to accept T&Cs for each role and will receive 2 separate emails.

All 4 HCAFs have agreed to produce consistent T&Cs which have been adapted from current UKA T&Cs to ensure coaches and officials are able to operate across borders where necessary. We will continue to work together to review these T&Cs and ensure they meet the needs of volunteers whilst ensuring our robust licensing scheme continues to keep people safe in all settings whilst taking part in the sport.

We’d like to take this opportunity to recognise the invaluable contribution that all active coaches and officials make to our sport and offer our gratitude for the knowledge, skills and dedication that they bring, helping to ensure the sport of athletics and running can continue to grow and flourish.

On behalf of everyone at scottishathletics, thank you.

For any enquiries relating to this please email: shonamalcolm@scottishathletics.org.uk

If you would like to become an official, browse the Courses for Officials page via the menu on the left. In order to officiate, you should complete an Assistant Official’s Award or Level 1 course, though you can become a (non-officiating) volunteer at athletics events without these qualifications. If you’d like more information about how to get started, contact Shona Malcolm.

We work in partnership with local authorities, athletics clubs, sportscotland and the Officials Commission to deliver a number of opportunities for volunteers to train as technical officials.

Qualifications in officiating are a mix of workshops and practical experience at events, run throughout the country. Support is provided by the senior technical officials and tutors delivering the training.

scottishathletics is the licensing body for Levels 1 to 3 with UKA/British Athletics is the licensing body for all officials level 4 and above, and their website holds full details on the Licence procedure. You can also download and read the UKA officials’ strategy here.

If you or your organisation would like to arrange delivery of a training workshop, please email Officials Recruitment & Development Officer Shona Malcolm.

You can use the menu on the left to access details of all education training courses for officials, the CPD offered by scottishathletics, and a toolkit full of useful documents for download.

You can also read back issues of the Officials Newsletter, which is sent by email on a regular basis, and fill out an online form to add your name to the mailing list.

Details on purchasing kit under the rewards scheme can be found here Officials Reward Scheme. The online shop to purchase scottishathletics Kit can be accessed via a dedicated page of the FN Teamwear Website. (https://www.thefootballnation.co.uk/scottish-athletics-officials/)

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