Do I have to be LTA Accredited to coach tennis?
Rule- Great Britain
- LTA
- LTA Coach Accreditation
- Tennis coaching
- Safeguarding
- 2026
- Coaches
- All ages
At LTA Registered Venues, yes, if you lead sessions. Under the LTA's Safeguarding Standards for Coaches, since October 2022 these coaches must hold valid LTA Coach Accreditation when leading coaching sessions independently:
- Level 2 to 5 qualified coaches
- coaches with overseas coaching qualifications
- coaches with external UK tennis coaching qualifications
- anyone leading coaching activity at an LTA Registered Venue.
(Level 3 to 5 coaches at registered venues have had to be accredited since 2019.)
Why it matters: Accreditation shows you've completed the required safe-to-practise checks: safeguarding training, first aid training and a criminal record check (DBS, or PVG in Scotland).
No recognised qualification? You can't join Accreditation, so you can't deliver tennis sessions independently at a registered venue. If unaccredited coaches are found delivering sessions, the venue is in breach of the Safeguarding Standards and can lose its registered status and benefits. The LTA carries out safeguarding support visits to check.
Level 1 (LTA Assistant) coaches support sessions alongside a lead coach rather than leading independently.
It's the coach's responsibility to buy and maintain Accreditation each year.
Added 21 Oct 2026