In his latest Love Football column, Suffolk FA’s Nick Garnham discusses the range of courses on offer for coaches in the county in a bid to improve their skills and experience.
With coach education and development integral to Suffolk FA’s ambitious strategy, over 250 coaches are set to benefit from the county’s range of football courses this coming season.
The FA Level 1 in Coaching Football qualification is designed for those making their first venture into coaching. With 10 courses to be held from July 2018 until May 2019, at venues around the county, 180 attendees will begin their journey by developing a knowledge of planning and delivering sessions.
Those coaches attending the FA Level 2 coaching award will see this developed across the three learning blocks of How We Coach, How We Support and How We Play, with a strong emphasis on understanding the young players’ learning styles and delivering enjoyable sessions to increase learning opportunities.
With Suffolk FA also offering the Level 3 (UEFA B) this season, 24 candidates will be provided with a fantastic learning experience, bringing technical detail to their coaching toolkit and asking them to challenge themselves across the duration of the course.
In addition to these, the year will also see courses covering the fast-paced format of Futsal and coaching goalkeepers.
Suffolk FA Senior Football Development Officer Darren Scoulding said: “We are always looking to review our coaching opportunities for coaches in the county.
“The qualifications we are offering this season, in addition to our Emergency First Aid and Safeguarding workshops and coupled with some really informative online topics via The FA’s website, will provide a comprehensive suite for coaches of any level.
“Reflecting people’s lifestyles is critical and with this in mind we hope our customers see flexibility in our course programme.”
Ongoing coach development is so important in the development of balanced young footballers, and with this in mind Suffolk FA have extended their coaching provisions.
Suffolk FA’s range of CPD events across the season provide coaches with a range of topics and themes such as ‘Matchday management’, ‘Futsal as a development tool’ and ‘the Female Talent Pathway’.
This year’s showcase event was held at the Ipswich Town Training Centre in July, with a very topical subject of the England DNA in the Foundation Phase excellently brought to life by Pete Sturgess, FA National Foundation Phase Lead.
With over 100 coaches in attendance, this was a superb example of coaches being given the opportunity to not only observe great practical delivery but also network with their fellow coaches.
The Suffolk Coaches Academy sponsored by Halliday Lighting is now entering its fourth season, with 60 coaches over the last three years having received access to a range of events designed to support, develop and enhance coaching within Suffolk.
An additional 20 coaches are being recruited for the coming season, with a programme of events planned that will provide a variety of opportunities, events and initiatives for coaches to develop and challenge themselves.
These events range from practical delivery and observation to Sports Science workshops and player performance analysis.
Scoulding said: “The Coaches Academy continues to grow and this cohort of like-minded, progressive coaches will benefit from a programme of events that will not only support their personal development but look to challenge the way they view themselves as coaches at the moment.”
For further information on any aspects to the Suffolk FA Coach Education, please contact Darren Scoulding on 07432 735984 or email darren.scoulding@suffolkfa.com
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