Hockey training plan 2026: what federations and coaches must do

Key data

Hockey coaches and technicians in Spain have had an official training framework regulating their qualifications since April 17, 2026. The Resolution of March 30, 2026 from the Superior Sports Council publishes the training plan for the sport of hockey, establishing the curricular content, competencies and requirements necessary to obtain qualifications with official validity throughout the national territory.

Until now, the absence of a specific official training plan for hockey limited the ability of federations and accredited centers to offer regulated training with full validity. This resolution closes that gap and opens the door to professionalization of the sector.

What does this regulation establish?

The training plan approved by the CSD regulates the training of sports technicians in hockey at its different levels. The key elements it establishes are:

The approval of this plan allows federations and accredited centers to deliver these studies in a regulated manner. Without this framework, any training delivered lacked the official backing necessary for recognized professional practice.

Economic and operational impact

The publication of this training plan has direct operational consequences for the different actors in the sector:

• Hockey federations: can design and launch official technical training courses, which represents a new source of activity and potentially income from tuition and training.
• Accredited sports training centers: obtain the legal basis to include the hockey coach qualification in their official training offer, expanding their catalog with national validity.
• Active technicians and coaches: those without official qualifications must assess whether they need to regularize their situation to continue practicing in environments requiring regulated qualifications (federated clubs, national teams, sports schools).
• Sports clubs and schools: will be able to require or value official qualifications when hiring technicians, raising the hiring standard in the sector.

Harmonization with European standards for federated sports also facilitates the mobility of Spanish technicians in the European sphere and strengthens the credibility of qualifications obtained in Spain before international bodies.

Who does it affect?

• Hockey coaches and technicians: both those who want to obtain an official qualification for the first time and those already practicing who need to validate their training.
• Hockey federations: regional and national, which can become entities delivering official training.
• Accredited sports training centers: wishing to include hockey in their regulated training offer.
• Hockey sports clubs: that hire or will hire technicians and must assess the requirement for official qualifications.
• Hockey sports schools: that incorporate technicians in their staff.
• Hockey national teams: regional and national, requiring technicians with recognized qualifications.

Practical example

A first division hockey club wants to hire a new head coach for its senior team. Until now, it could hire any technician with accredited experience, but without an official reference qualification in hockey.

With the approved training plan, the club can now require that the candidate holds the official qualification of sports technician in hockey issued by a federation or accredited center. The technician, for their part, knows that by taking official training through the corresponding hockey federation or an accredited center, they will obtain a qualification valid throughout the national territory and recognized under European standards for federated sports.

If the technician already works as a coach without official qualification, they must assess whether the applicable regulations in their autonomous community or in the competition where they work require this qualification to continue practicing, and if so, begin the process of obtaining the qualification through the authorized channels.

What should organizations do now?

1. Hockey federations: review the complete content of the training plan published in the BOE to design the official course offering by levels, define the schedule of calls and communicate it to technicians in the sector.
2. Accredited sports training centers: verify whether their current accreditation enables them to teach the sport of hockey and, if so, begin procedures to include it in their official training offer.
3. Sports clubs and schools: review contracts and profiles of technicians on staff to assess whether it will be necessary to require official qualifications in future hiring or renewals.
4. Active technicians and coaches: contact the corresponding hockey federation or accredited centers to learn about the ways to obtain official qualifications and access requirements by level.
5. All affected parties: consult the complete resolution in the BOE to learn about application deadlines, as the entry into force date has not been specified in the published text.

Official source