Free first conversation
The participant, their age and what they want from it.
Geel · Sports and recreation instruction
A concern
A concern
should nevergo through me.
Coaching puts an adult and a child together, often with nobody else there. So there is a named route for raising a concern that does not pass through the coach, the record extract exists and can be asked for, and supervision matches the age rather than the convenience.
- 2010registered
- Minorsthe standard
- Extracton request
- Geelbased in
What we do
Four things, safeguarding first
The questions a parent should be able to ask are answered before a child starts, not after something has happened.
Sports instruction
Instruction in sport and recreational activity, planned around the participant.
See the programWorking with minors
The criminal record extract, and a route for concerns that bypasses the coach.
See the programSupervision and contact
Group sizes, changing rooms, travel and any physical contact the technique requires.
See the programWhat we are not
Instruction is not medical advice, and qualifications are not protected titles.
See the program
How it works
How we work
Answer the safeguarding questions before a child starts rather than after something happens, keep a route for concerns that does not run through the coach, match supervision to the real risk, and send anything about health to a doctor.
The questions answered
Record extract, reporting route, supervision.
Sessions planned
Paced to the age and the level.
Reviewed honestly
Including when progress is slow.
Working together
What it costs
Priced per session or per block in euro after a first conversation. No sporting result is promised at any price.
Individual sessions
One to one, paced to the participant.
- Planned around the person
- Technique before load
- Contact explained beforehand
- Progress reviewed honestly
- No result guaranteed
Group sessions
Small groups, sized so they can be supervised.
- Group size matched to risk
- Record extract obtainable
- Reporting route named
- Parents told arrangements first
- Incidents recorded and reported
What we will not do
Said up front, because it concerns children.
- No group we cannot supervise
- No concern handled informally
- No medical or diet advice
- No qualification overstated
- No promised selection
Every engagement is quoted after a free consultation. No subscription.
How we work
The question a parent should ask
MARC VOS BV was created on 8 February 2010 and is registered with the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises under number 0822.966.113, with its registered office at 27 Meerhoutseweg in Geel, province of Antwerp, and establishment units registered for sports and recreation education. The published activity appears at establishment level rather than at company level, and this site describes the activity so registered.
Coaching is one of the few lines of work whose ordinary conditions are the same as the conditions in which harm occurs: an adult and a child together repeatedly, frequently with no other adult present, sometimes with physical contact the technique genuinely requires, in changing rooms, in cars, at residential camps. Almost no website in this sector mentions that, which is itself revealing. The position here is simple. Where an activity brings someone into contact with minors, there is a specific criminal record extract intended for exactly that purpose, and a parent is entitled to ask for confirmation that it exists. There is also a named route by which a child or a parent can raise a concern without it passing through the person the concern is about, which matters structurally rather than politely: a complaint that must be reported to its own subject is never reported. Supervision is matched to age, level and real risk, and a group size or a setting that cannot be supervised properly is declined even when the work is wanted. Physical contact necessary for technique or safety is explained before it happens. And instruction is not a healthcare act, so injuries, health conditions and diet belong with a doctor.
Frequently asked
The questions we get most
Can I ask to see a criminal record extract?
Yes, and you should ask it of anyone who will be alone with your child, not only of us. Where an activity brings a person into contact with minors there is a specific extract from the criminal record intended for that purpose. Asking is not an accusation and nobody working properly with children will treat it as one. A provider who is uncomfortable with the question has answered it.
If my child had a problem with you, who would they tell?
Not me, and that is the point. There is a named route through which a participant, a parent or a guardian can raise a concern without it passing through the person the concern is about, and it is given to parents before a child starts rather than produced afterwards. A complaint that has to travel through its own subject does not travel. Concerns about a participant's integrity are acted upon rather than managed informally inside the group.
How do you handle changing rooms, travel and camps?
By arranging them so that an adult is not alone with an individual child where that can be avoided, and by telling parents what the arrangements are in advance rather than when asked. Those settings are where supervision is thinnest and where discomfort is hardest for a child to voice, so they get planned deliberately instead of improvised on the day.
Is physical contact part of coaching?
Sometimes, where the technique or the safety of the participant genuinely requires it. When it does, it is explained before it happens rather than simply done, so a participant knows what to expect and knows that being told is normal. A child who has been told what ordinary instruction looks like is far better placed to recognise something that is not.
Can you advise on an injury or on what my child should eat?
No. Instruction is not a healthcare act. We do not diagnose, do not treat injuries and do not give dietary, nutritional or medical advice, and anything concerning an injury, a health condition or fitness to participate belongs with a physician. We may ask for confirmation of fitness to participate before accepting someone for an activity, which is a precaution rather than an obstacle.
Will my child get selected or reach a particular level?
No result, selection, progression or performance improvement is guaranteed, and anyone promising one is selling something. Outcomes in sport depend on far more than coaching, including growth, health, opportunity and a considerable amount of luck. What can be promised is sessions planned around the participant, progress reviewed honestly including when it is slow, and an environment organised around the things that actually matter.
Thinking about sessions?
A free first conversation, with no obligation.