Basketball Australia has a new Coach Development Framework: what does it mean for MBA coaches?

You may have noticed that earlier this month Basketball Australia launched a new Coach Development Framework - the first major change in over 10 years. This article summarises what’s changed and what’s unchanged, and what every coach within the MBA should do. At the end of the article is a simple checklist for what coaches of each level (Domestic, MBA Programs, VJBL and Big V) need to complete.

Summary of what’s new, and what’s the same

• The names of most accreditations have changed

• The VJBL rules for accreditation are unchanged

• The process to gain each accreditation is unchanged, BUT

• Within some accreditations there are new Silver and Gold levels to unlock, based on your “Coach Development Points”

• All education you complete contributes towards your Coach Development Points

• There are new free, online modules to access online

The name of most accreditations has changed

• The Community Coach accreditation (or Level 0 prior to 2014) is now called the Participation Coach accreditation.

• The Club Coach accreditation (formerly Level 1 ) is now called the Competition Coach accreditation.

• The Association Coach accreditation (formerly Level 2) is now called the Representative Coach accreditation.

• The names of the Performance Coach and Master Coach accreditations are unchanged.

Why the name change? The changes are intended to better reflect the environment you are coaching:

• Participation Coach is intended for all coaches who are in grassroots settings where the primary focus is on enjoyment and teaching the basics. Wins and losses are of no interest to you because you’re coaching U12s, and you’re simply trying to give everyone the best experience possible. We recommend it for:

  • Division 3+ MBA Domestic Coaches

  • VJBL Assistant Coaches

• Competition Coach is not for every coach in a competition, but it is for coaches who are coaching in youth environments that are more competitive and therefore need more technical and tactical knowledge up their sleeve. We recommend it for:

  • Division 1 & 2 MBA Domestic Coaches

  • All VJBL Coaches

• Representative Coach is for coaches seeking to coach at the highest levels within an Association (e.g. VC, Big V, NBL1), or to represent their State/Territory. We recommend it for:

  • First and second team VJBL Coaches

  • Big V Senior Coaches and Lead Assistants

  • Coaches involved with Basketball Victoria programs

The VJBL rules for accreditation are unchanged

Head Coaches for Teams 1-3

Head Coaches of Teams 1-3 within each age group must complete the Competition Coach accreditation. The Competition Coach Course consists of:

• Online learning modules

• Six-hour practical session (in-person)

All Other Coaches

All other coaches (Head Coaches of Teams 3+, and ALL assistant coaches) must complete the Participation Coach accreditation. The Participation Coach Course consists of:

• Online learning modules

• Two-hour practical session (in-person)

BUT - YOU CAN NOW unlock SHINY “Silver” and “Gold” levels FOR SOME LEVELS

If you hold a Competition (formerly Club) or Representative (formerly Association) accreditation, you will start from today with the “Bronze” level. You can progress to “Silver” and “Gold” levels within those accreditation categories, by earning Coach Development Points (CDPs).

For example, if you earn 100 Coach Development Points in 2026, you will move from “Competition Bronze” to “Competition Silver”.

There are four main ways to earn Coach Development Points:

1. Actively coach in a calendar year (50 points) - Link with PlayHQ is still being developed, watch this space.

2. Attend coaching clinics (10-50 points, depending on the clinic)

3. Online learning modules (up to 20 points per year)

4. Coach reflections and other self-guided activities (up to 30 points)

FAQ: “Can you drop back a level?”

Answer: You can drop back from Gold to Silver (or Silver to Bronze) if you are not earning CDPs, but you can’t drop from a Competition back to a Participation level.

Coaches - what to do now

• Log into the Basketball Australia QMS (etrainu) and check your qualification under Skills Passport to ensure it is correct.

• If you believe it is incorrect, please email Darren Anderson (doc@mckinnonbasketball.org) to assist.

• Check out the new learning modules available in the Training Library, by clicking on “View Courses” for your coaching level.