Coaching on Bield
Coach is a free role for anyone who guides athletes — “Link with athletes, see their consented data, suggest pace plans, kit, fuelling and races.” You don't need Premium. You don't need to be a race organiser.
Arms-length arrangement. Any coaching fees, contracts or terms are agreed directly between you and your athlete, outside Bield. Bield provides the introduction, the consented data view and the communication channel — it does not process payment between users.
Setting up as a coach
- Enable the Coach role Go to Me → Your roles and toggle Coach on. This is immediate — no vetting required.
-
Complete your coach profile
From Me → Coaching, fill in your profile:
- Bio and coaching style
- Qualifications and certifications
- Specialisms: ultra, trail, mountain, road, OCR, triathlon, cycling
- Coaching since (year)
- Athlete capacity — how many athletes you're currently coaching / your limit
- Directory visibility: listed (discoverable by all runners) or private (find-by-handle only)
- Set your accepting-athletes toggle “Accepting new athletes” pauses incoming requests without removing your profile or ending existing links. Toggle it off when you're at capacity.
Connecting with athletes
There are two directions, both ending in an explicit accept:
Coach invites a runner
- Go to the Requests tab on your coach dashboard Tap Invite a runner.
- Find them by Bield handle or email You can invite non-members by email — they'll receive a join-Bield email with your invitation. When they join and link up, the connection activates automatically.
- Add an optional personal note The note appears in the invitation notification the athlete receives.
- Wait for the athlete to accept or decline You'll be notified of their decision.
Athlete requests a coach
From Me → My coach, the athlete searches for you by handle or name (if you're listed in the directory) and sends a request. You'll see it in your Requests tab and can accept or decline.
Coach–athlete link states
Once a connection is made, it goes through these states:
| State | What it means | What triggers it |
|---|---|---|
| Invited | One party has sent the request; the other hasn't responded yet | Coach sends invite or athlete sends request |
| Active | Both parties accepted — link is live. A private chat thread is created. | The receiving party taps “Accept” |
| Ended | Link terminated by either party | Either side taps “End link” (with a confirm step) |
Prerequisite for suggestions: The link must be in active state before you can send any suggestions to an athlete. You can't send suggestions to a pending (invited) connection.
Either side can end a link at any time. Ending the link removes the coach's access to the athlete's data and closes the chat thread. Past suggestions remain visible to the athlete.
Consent — what a coach can see
The athlete controls exactly what each coach can see. From their “What your coach can see” settings, they toggle three scopes per link:
| Scope | What it covers | Needed for… |
|---|---|---|
| Race entries | Upcoming races the athlete has added to their Bield engagements | Sending a pace plan suggestion (requires knowing the race and checkpoints) |
| Results | Published race results the athlete is matched to | Reviewing past race performance |
| Fuelling plans | Nutrition plans the athlete has built in the pace calculator | Nutrition and hydration suggestions informed by their existing plan |
- Toggles apply immediately and can be revoked at any time.
- Different coaches on the same athlete can have different scopes.
- If an athlete hasn't shared race entries, you'll see a note saying the athlete controls this from their coach tab — you won't see which races they're entered in, and the pace plan suggestion type won't be available.
The coach dashboard
Your coach dashboard has three tabs:
| Tab | What's there |
|---|---|
| My runners | One card per active athlete. Each card shows: next race (if shared), last suggestion and its status, what they've shared. Buttons: “View & suggest” and “Message”. |
| Requests | Incoming link requests from athletes; outgoing invites you've sent and their status. |
| Profile | Your coach profile editor — bio, qualifications, specialism, capacity, directory toggle. |
Sending suggestions
Prerequisite: The coach–athlete link must be active. For pace plan suggestions, the athlete must also have shared the “Race entries” scope.
From an athlete's page, tap Add suggestion. There are six suggestion kinds:
| Kind | What it carries | Data scope needed |
|---|---|---|
| Pace plan | Target elapsed time at each checkpoint of an upcoming race | Race entries scope required |
| Nutrition | Free-text advice on food, drink and fuelling strategy | None (fuelling scope helps inform it) |
| Kit to carry | A list of items beyond the race's mandatory kit | None |
| Shoes | Free-text advice on footwear for the terrain | None |
| Strategy | Free-text race strategy, pacing notes, mental-skills tips | None |
| Race recommendation | A specific race from the Bield catalogue, with a “why this race?” note | None |
Suggestion lifecycle
After you send a suggestion, it moves through these states:
| State | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Proposed | You've sent the suggestion; the athlete hasn't opened it yet |
| Seen | The athlete has opened the suggestion |
| Accepted | Athlete accepted the suggestion (and can add a short note) |
| Declined | Athlete declined (and can add a short note) |
You can withdraw a suggestion before the athlete has responded (while it's in proposed or seen state). Once accepted or declined, it's locked.
The athlete's view
Athletes see suggestions at Me → My coach, grouped by race. Each suggestion shows your name, the type, the content, and the respond buttons. They can accept or decline individually and add a short note back to you with each response.
Coaching chat
Each active coach–athlete link has a private message thread, created automatically when the link activates. Access it from your athlete's card on the dashboard or from the athlete's Me → My coach tab. Messages are encrypted at rest.
Common questions
Do I need to be a qualified coach to use the Coach role?
No — the Coach role is free and open to toggle on for any Bield user. Your profile lets you list qualifications and experience, which athletes can see when deciding whether to link with you. Bield doesn't verify qualifications listed on the coach profile; verified items live in your trust score.
Can I coach someone who isn't on Bield yet?
Yes. Invite them by email from the Requests tab — they'll receive a join-Bield invitation with your name on it. When they sign up and accept, the link activates automatically.
An athlete isn't sharing their race entries. Can I still send suggestions?
Yes — five of the six suggestion types (nutrition, kit, shoes, strategy, race recommendation) don't need the race-entries scope. Only pace plans require it, because they need the race and checkpoint details.
Can an athlete have more than one coach?
Yes — athletes can have multiple active coach links, each with its own consent scope. The athlete controls what each coach sees independently.
Do I charge for coaching through Bield?
Any fees or terms are between you and your athlete, outside of Bield. Bield provides the communication and data layer; it doesn't process payment between users.