Do you want to become a football coach? Many people wonder what it takes to become a football coach, well that is what we’re going to look at. We will go through the necessary steps it takes to gain qualification and be able to call yourself a football coach.
FA Level 1 Coaching Badge
You need this in order to be classed as a football coach. The FA Level 1 course is the entry level in to the coaching industry and from there onwards you can choose to take it as far as you want. It is an ideal introduction in to coaching football for people without any experience at all. Each candidate must be at least 16 years old to apply for the course. These courses usually take up to 4-7 days where you will undertake classroom and practical work with an evaluation at the end. Within this course you will cover many things such as:
- Safe planning and supervision of various football activities
- Laws of the game
- Child protection/safeguarding children
- How to cover warm ups, cool downs, passing, shooting, dribbling, ball control and heading exercises
- First Aid
- How to tailor activities to different age groups and levels pf ability
- How to conduct yourself between players, parents, officials and other coaches
How much does it cost?
The price of this course you will find varies depending on the company whose teaching it. In saying that, prices are around £120 – £170.
FA Level 2 Coaching Badge
The FA Level 2 course is very similar to the level 1 and therefore still considered an entry level in to coaching football. However, to be able to start at FA Level 2 you will need to have vast experience in coaching football or playing. Each candidate must be at least 16 years old to apply for this course. These courses usually take between 10-14 days of classroom and practical exercises. After that you are then required to complete 16-30 hours of practical coaching which will be recorded in a log book stating what exercises you done, evaluation of the session etc.
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Within this course you will cover the same things as you did in the Level 1, only in more depth. You will learn tactical strategies/skills based on defending and attacking. There is a part of the course where you will cover a bit of nutrition based on learning how to properly fuel the body and also fitness training. The practical part of the course is broken down in to 16 key categories which will help coaches to gain the knowledge and experience to set up their own coaching drills/sessions. The 16 categories are:
- Long passing
- Short passing
- Forward passing
- Receiving the ball
- Turning
- Finishing (close range)
- Finishing (long range)
- Defending (one on one)
- Defending (as a group)
- Support play (attacking)
- Support play (defending/around the ball)
- Heading (defensive)
- Heading (attacking)
- Dribbling
- Running with the ball
- Goalkeeping
How Much does it cost?
A higher level so a higher fee is also required in order to take this course. The prices can be around £220 – £320.
FA Level 3 Coaching Badge
The FA Level 3 course is an 85-95 hour course that offers already qualified level 2/experienced coaches the chance to learn some new advanced techniques that can help open doors in the coaching industry for them to further their careers. This course has been redesigned and is now officially the UEFA B licence part 2 and the FA Level 2 course is UEFA B part 1. This course is run as a local course just like level 1 and 2, although unlike those courses, there are less of them on offer which means many tend to take it as a 4 day national course in a central location. As national courses are residential and very intensive, a much bigger commitment is required when taking this course meaning, time away from work and possibly home. This course also focuses mainly on player performance through the theory and technical side of things.
Theory/Practical side:
- Turning theory in to practice
- Advanced analysis and planning
- Motivational and psychological analysis through coaching sessions
- Philosophy of coaching
- Analysing players and their techniques
- Set out coaching goal, analyse, evaluate session
- Different types of factors that relate to players performance
- Fitness and nutrition
Technical side:
- Advanced player practice
- Advanced squad practice
- Small sided games
- Different phases and patterns of play
- Advanced practise on drills
The UEFA A Coaching Licence
This UEFA A coaching course is aimed specifically at coaches who wish to work in 11 v 11 semi professional or professional football clubs. This course is one of the most respected coaching badges in the football industry, it covers high level aspects of coaching in great depth. Progression from this course once completed can lead to gaining UEFA Pro Licence or the FA Academy Managers award. This course is broken down in to two parts with both being run as a national residential course. In total it can last up to 240 hours but those hours get halved to 120 hours each part. Part 1 is the UEFA A preparatory course which is usually run as a 13 day course and part 2 run as an 8 day course. However in order for you to go on to part 2 you need to complete part 1 first. Coaches need access to 11 a side teams in order for them to meet the requirement to carry out the final assessment which is to complete extensive coaching, management and delivery of training sessions. These assessments get carried out at a later date and they are to gauge your understanding and ability to carry out the key aspects of coaching. You will also cover Practical and theoretical aspects of football.
Practical Side
- Defending as a unit/team
- Attack v defence
- How to beat the offside trap
- Counter attack football
- Wing play and attacking with width
Theory Side
- Analysing team/individual performance
- Match analysis and break downs
- Player movement
- Motivation of players
- Psychology of football
- Strategies
Where you can get your coaching badges
Various community sports facilities usually run courses every so often, this is something you need to take up with your local sporting facility. You can also check the FA’s website for more information on how you can gain your coaching badges. [/sociallocker]
