11 - Player Development

Policy Statement

We believe one of the joys of playing Go is the ability to continually improve, from an absolute beginner up to one of the highest Dan players. As such the BGA will work actively to deliver and support player development activities for players of all strengths.

We encourage our members to teach, coach and mentor other players.

How it is Implemented

Financial and other help may be given to appropriate player development projects, and the same facilities are available for them as are given to tournaments. Members wanting to organise player development events or projects can contact the Chairman of the Player Development Committee, or any Council member.

Teaching Events We occasionally arrange or support teaching events around the country and online. Participants are expected to contribute towards the costs. Setting these costs will be the responsibility of the Chairman of the Player Development Committee.
Any costs in excess of those contributed by the participants will be covered by us. Clubs wishing to arrange such an event should contact the Chairman of the Player Development Committee.

Teaching Accreditation We operate a formal process of obtaining feedback from students in order to ensure teaching quality. Currently the BGA has two levels of accreditation:

General level: For Go teachers who will normally be teaching adults.
Accredited to teach young people: This level is for anyone who may be regularly teaching children or young people, for example running a weekly Go Club for young people. This is likely to fall under the definition of ‘regulated activity’: for a further explanation of ‘regulated activity’ and the legal implications of this please see the BGA's Safe Recruitment Policy .

All accredited teachers must meet the following requirements

Be in receipt of positive feedback from students
Have studied our "Guide to Teaching Go to Beginners"

Such teachers will be accredited to teach players at least 4 stones weaker than themselves. In addition teachers wishing to be Accredited to teach young people must also:

Confirm that they’ve read the BGA policy on Working with Children and Young People.
Provide clear DBS certificate dated within the past three years (the BGA can assist an individual to apply for a DBS check).
Provide two references using the BGA reference form. One reference at least should be from outside the Go community.
Have experience of teaching go to young people.

Accreditation will be undertaken by the Player Development Committee. Teachers who wish to apply for accreditation should contact this committee with evidence that they have met the requirements. Accreditation requires at least 2 members of the Committee to vote in favour, with no member voting against.

Supporting Information

The following may be useful links:

Guide to teaching Go to beginners
Chapter 4 of the Club Organiser’s Handbook.

For more information on teaching Go please contact the Chairman of the Player Development Committee. For information and advice on issues relating to child protection and DBS checks please contact the Child Protection Advisor.

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Last updated Thu Sep 17 2026.
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