YOUNG people from around Suffolk today took their first steps on the coaching ladder.

Suffolk FA, in partnership with Suffolk Sport, have provided 16-20 year olds with the opportunity to take the FA level 1 coaching badge. Today the candidates took Safe Guarding Children and Emergency First Aid qualifications.

Suffolk Sport has worked closely with Suffolk FA to make this course accessible for the young people, who have had to pay just £25 for this nationally recognised course, where normally candidates would pay £150.

Coaching development officer at Suffolk Sport Simon King said: “It’s great to be able to work with Suffolk FA to provide local young people with a chance to take their first steps onto the coaching ladder. The participants will hopefully be coaching for years to come and that makes it really worthwhile investing in the future!”

There are 22 candidates on the course, a number of which are on the FA’s Football Futures programme. This initiative offers 14-22 years old a voluntary pathway in to football, whether it is through coaching, refereeing or another aspect of the game. The young people gain valuable experience and life skills through their voluntary hours, which will set them in a good position when looking for future employment within sport.

Suffolk FA Football Development officer Nathan French said: “We have a lot of Football Futures young people on this course, it’s great to see them taking this coaching qualification. A lot of them will do well over 100 voluntary hours within their club setting, throughout a season. This course gives them the knowledge to go with their experience.”

If you would like to know more about Volunteer opportunities, Football Futures or to find out more about coaching qualifications in Suffolk, please contact Nathan.french@suffolkfa.com