The pages in our coaching zone have been created to help managers and their coaches run teams, but can also be helpful for parents to see what goes into the role and to ensure the necessary tasks are being done to maintain good standards.

Development training begins for kids aged five and up and existing club coaches hold regular sessions to get children involved in the basics of football while having fun. Both boys and girls. 

Once the players develop, we look to start teams from under-sevens upwards. This relies on our development coaches working with enthusiastic parents for them to eventually become coaches and team managers.

Each team requires at least two coaches - one or both of whom will be the team manager. Every training session or match requires at least two qualified coaches to be present. 

These don’t have to be parents, but it is most common for one or both coaches to have children in the team, hence their involvement in the first place.

Coaching kids is a privilege and we take it very seriously. You can have an incredibly positive impact on a lot of children’s lives, while also enjoying some of life’s most fulfilling experiences as you see your team develop and grow.

In order to coach kids, coaches/managers MUST have the correct Football Association qualifications, not just in the practicalities of training football, but to adhere with very strict safeguarding regulations and first aid requirements, for obvious reasons. 

All would-be coaches must firstly get an FA Number (FAN) - find out how. Then you must start the process of getting a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Without one, the person can not have coaching contact with children.

The DBS process is arranged in conjunction with the FA and is paid for by the club. You can contact our safeguarding officer via email to find out more on this.

While awaiting the DBS check to be done, you can start the preliminary coaching qualification known as the FA Playmaker. Read more and enrol. This course is free.

After the FA Playmaker course is completed and you have your DBS check back, you should then do the FA’s Safeguarding for Children course. Read more. This costs £30 and will reimbursed by the club on production of a pass certificate.

Once that is done, you will be allowed to participate in supervised coaching sessions with children, BUT a fully qualified coach (with FA Introduction to Coaching Football / Level One and full first aid and safeguarding certificates) must always be in attendance.

You should then undertake the FA’s Introduction to First Aid in Football course. Read more. This also costs £30, and will be reimbursed by the club.

The FA also requires the completion of two more courses, that are free to take: 

If you are going to manage a team, or be assistant manager of a team, then you MUST complete the FA’s Introduction to Coaching Football course, formerly known as the FA Level One. Read more and enrol. 

Without this course, you will not be allowed to run unsupervised coaching sessions or manage a team unsupervised. 

This course costs £100. Unlike the others, it is club policy to pay this back in stages. Half will be paid back on proof of completion and then 25% annually thereafter. We do this to both protect our investment and to encourage coaches to stay with the club.