The Australian Sports Commission has announced an update to the Community Coaching Essential Skills course, set to launch in April 2025. These changes are based on feedback from users and coach developers and are designed to make the course more flexible and streamlined.

What’s Changing?

  • More Flexibility – Learners will now have the option to complete the modules in any order and at their own pace.
  • Updated Course Structure – Instead of completing all eight modules in a set sequence, the course will be broken into seven individual modules, each awarding an achievement upon completion. A formal certificate will be issued when all seven modules are successfully completed.
  • Safeguarding Module Removal – Safeguarding content has been removed from this course, as it is now covered in Sports Integrity Australia’s Safeguarding Children and Young People in Sport Induction course.

Each module will take approximately 20 to 30 minutes, with the full course taking around 2.5 hours to complete. The content and learning objectives remain the same, ensuring coaches continue to develop the skills needed to create positive, safe, and inclusive sporting environments.

What’s Staying the Same?

✅ The course remains free for all learners.
✅ The learning objectives and key coaching fundamentals will not change.
✅ It will continue to provide diverse learning opportunities to support coaching development.

Next Steps

No action is required—learners will automatically access the updated course when it becomes available. We encourage all Pony Club coaches to stay informed and complete the necessary safeguarding training through Sports Integrity Australia if not already done.