I have been a football coach for more than 15 years, coaching players of all ages and in different languages. However, I was once in your position, wondering how to become a football coach.
In England, there are various courses and one set pathway to becoming a fully qualified football coach.
So whether you’re a beginner or an experienced football coach, if you’re looking to earn your first coaching badges, gain a higher qualification or improve your coaching skills through the Football Associations coaching pathway, then this blog post is for you.
To become a qualified coach in England, you must complete the following courses:
- BT Playmaker
- Introduction to Coaching football (formerly F.A Level 1)
- UEFA C Licence (formerly F.A Level 2)
- F.A Level 3 (UEFA B)
- F.A Level 4 ( UEFA A)
- F.A Level 5 (UEFA Pro)
There are additional courses that are tailored to help football coaches develop at a specific level, for example, a football coach working with elite youth players in academy football. The F.A Advanced Youth Award.
All of these qualifications allow you to coach at different levels of the game, from the grassroots level all the way to the professional game.
So in this article, we are going to look at what you need to enrol on each of these courses and what level you can coach after completing each one.
CHANGES TO THE F.A COACHING PATHWAY
There have been some changes to the pathway of the English F.A football coaching qualifications with the introduction of the BT Playmaker course and the re-naming of the F.A Level 1 Football coaching qualification.
These qualifications must be completed within a certain period, from when you begin the course and will be done in the order of the above list. Some of the initial courses can be done online, however as you progress you will have to attend the courses in person.
There are various amounts of work, requirements, and costs to all of these courses which you can see below.
BT PLAYMAKER
Prerequisites:
- No previous qualifications required
- Age 14+
Specific Info:
- Online course
- 4 and a half hours duration
- 5 Modules (no time limit as to when they should be completed)
Cost: Free
INTRODUCTION TO COACHING FOOTBALL
The Introduction to Coaching Football is a new course that was launched in the summer of 2021 and replaces the old F.A Level 1.
Prerequisites:
- Completed BT Playmaker
- Minimum age 16+
Specific Info:
- Online course
- 4 weeks duration
Cost: £160
F.A LEVEL 2
This course is soon to be replaced by the new UEFA C licence which will start in 2022. However, the details of this course are as follows:
Prerequisites:
- Minimum age 16+
- Completed 1st4sport level 1 Award in Coaching Football
- Hold F.A Level 1 Introduction to First Aid in Football
- Hold a current certificate for The F.A Safeguarding Children Course
- Regularly coach U7+ players who play in an organised competition
Specific Info:
- 145 hours duration (includes 73 hours of guided learning)
Cost: £370 – £420
F.A LEVEL 3 (UEFA B Licence)
Prerequisites:
- Minimum age 18+
- Hold the F.A Level 2 in Coaching Football course
- Fully completed F.A Level 2 Action Plan
- Coaching a team in a season-long competition in England
Specific Info:
- Delivered throughout a season (9 months)
Cost: £625 ( £360 with the PFA members)
F.A LEVEL 4 (UEFA A Licence)
Prerequisites:
- Minimum age 18+
- Completed the F.A Level 3 (UEFA B licence)
- Application vetted and approved by the course director
Specific Info:
- Course duration is 12 months
- Course divided into 6 residential modules (2 days each)
- 3-day in-situ visits
Cost: £3,000 (on average)
F.A LEVEL 5 (UEFA PRO Licence)
The UEFA Pro licence is the final step in the long journey of becoming a fully qualified coach.
Prerequisites:
- Minimum age 18+
- Completed all previous courses up to and the including UEFA A licence
- Applications are vetted and approved by the coaching director
Specific Info:
- Course duration is 18 months
- 2 days of assessment centre and profiling
- 3 x 3-day modules
- 2 x 2-day modules
- 1 x 4-day final module with graduation
- 2 x 1-day tutor group meetings
- Study visit
- Six one-to-one tutor support visits
Cost: £8,000 +
There is also an additional course for those working with elite youth players in academy football, The F.A Advanced Youth Award.
On top of the information that I have shared in this post, I have also been asked, on many occasions, things such as:
- How difficult are the coaching F.A coaching courses?
- What can I do with the various qualifications?
- How long are coaching qualifications valid for?
So I thought I would share the answers to these questions as well.
How difficult are the coaching F.A coaching courses?
How difficult is Level 1 & 2
F.A Level 1, now the Introduction to Football Coaching, and F.A level 2 are courses designed for people who want to work with young players at the grassroots level.
Level 1 was not considered particularly difficult and I am sure this will be the same for the new Introduction to Coaching football, as it’s mainly about keeping young players safe and happy within the game while providing them with a safe environment where they can develop their skills.
From the experience of coaches that I have spoken to, the pass rate is high.
How difficult is UEFA B & A Licence
At this level, I know plenty of people, in the past, who have failed at the first attempt. To do this course will require you to put the hard work in and be focused.
How difficult is the UEFA Pro
The pass rate is unknown but, as this is the highest qualification you can achieve, to become a professional football coach, it goes without saying that it is not easy.
WHAT LEVEL CAN I COACH WITH THE FOOTBALL COACHING QUALIFICATIONS
The BT playmaker, Introduction to Coaching Football, and F.A Level 2 will enable you to coach young players at the grassroots level.
Both the UEFA B and UEFA A Licences are a progression into coaching 11-a-side football and are a mandatory qualification if you want to apply for any academy coaching positions or to work with any professional team.
The UEFA Pro licence is the final step in the long journey of becoming a fully qualified coach and the gateway to coaching at the very highest level of the professional game, either in the Premier League or at the international level.
HOW LONG ARE COACHING QUALIFICATIONS VALID FOR?
To keep the qualifications valid, coaches must complete a certain number of CPD hours/points.
With the English F.A level 1 (Introduction to Coaching) and level 2, I believe the qualification is valid for 2 years if no CPD has been taken (please check with the F.A).
However, with the UEFA qualifications, they last for 3 years.
Other F.A Learning Courses
The FA also offers a range of other qualifications, such as:
- F.A Advanced Youth Award
- F.A safeguarding children workshop
- Talent identification course
- Medical courses
- Goalkeeping courses
- Disability coaching
The main responsibilities of a coach are:
A coach is an essential part of the team and their success. Typically a coach or a football manager will oversee training by planning, preparing session plans and leading coaching sessions.
How to get experience as a coach?
The first stage of pursuing a coaching career should be building experience through taking as many training sessions as possible.
A typical way of doing this involves either an apprenticeship if you’re young enough, or by volunteering at a local amateure club and helping more experienced coaches.
This will give you the wealth of practical coaching hours to gain experience whilst also being able to learn from more experienced coaches.
How much do football coaches get paid UK?
The football coach’s salary in the UK varies depending on experience, qualifications, and the level they are coaching at. Typically, football coaches working with young players will earn less than those working with senior or professional teams.
Football coaches who are just starting out may earn around £18,000 per year compared with £28,000 for more experienced coaches.
Regarding a UEFA Pro professional football coach, working in the professional game, they can earn £50,000 plus per year depending on which professional team they are coaching.
It is important to remember that football coaches are typically paid for their services and not given a wage like other employees in a football club. This means that football coaches can be released from their position at any time if the club feels they are not providing value for money.
Summary
Overall, football coaching is an interesting and rewarding career path.
Giving you the opportunity to help young footballers of the next generation to develop their game and have a positive impact on a player’s life.
The qualifications and experience required to get started can be difficult but with hard work, it is achievable.
I hope this blog post was helpful and if you decide to enrol on a course, good luck!