⁠Transcript on England Football Community⁠

Earlier in the season, we spoke with three learners on the UEFA Pro Licence course. In this special episode, we learn about their roles in the game and their transition into coaching. They also share their thoughts on the key skills they think coaches need and plenty of top coaching tips, as well as their experiences on the Pro Licence so far.

Amy Merricks, who since this interview has left Brighton and is now the head coach of England women’s under-19s, joins us first. Amy talks about her coaching experiences and offers advice for new coaches who may be finding their initial sessions daunting. Amy champions the power of connecting with others and gives us some great communication tips.

We also speak with Ipswich Town first-team coach, Lee Grant. We hear about how the transition has been from playing as a goalkeeper to becoming a coach. Lee gives us insight into what the first-team coach role involves and shares key insights from some of the Pro Licence visitors; from media and communications experts to a hostage negotiator.

And finally, we speak with Steve Bould, head coach of Belgian side Lommel SK. Steve offers advice for coaches looking into stepping into first-team management. He opens up about the challenges he’s faced and his favourite part of being a coach. He also highlights the importance of sharing with, and working alongside, other coaches and offers advice to help players deal with winning and losing.

Covered in this episode:

• The transition to coaching from three perspectives.

• What the UEFA Pro Licence course involves.

• Top priorities when planning out session design.

• What questions coaches should be asking players.

• Tips for working as part of a coaching pair.

• Key skills people need to become a coach.

• Tips for coaching more effectively on a matchday.

• Advice for dealing with winning and losing.

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Do you have any coaching questions you’d like answers to? Or perhaps you’re facing a coaching challenge that you’d like help with? Simply head over to our England Football Community forum (https://community.thefa.com/coaching/f/youth-club-football-forum/3174/coaching-problems-and-questions) and post them there. We can then put them to our guests in future episodes to get their advice!

Already listened to this episode or the previous seasons of Coachcast? We’d love to hear from you! Pass on your feedback by contacting us via [email protected].

LEARN MORE

UEFA Pro Licence course – https://learn.englandfootball.com/courses/football/uefa-pro-licence

England Football Learning – https://learn.englandfootball.com/

England Football Community – https://community.thefa.com/

England Football Learning on YouTube –

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCisPO86aEIhWRTnTS1vrSVw

England Football Learning Twitter – https://twitter.com/EnglandLearning

LISTEN

Anchor – https://anchor.fm/coachcast-thefa

Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/4sA9fHoldaH1x5Wn3vdmsB

Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/coachcast/id1591804808

Editing and show notes by Clarion.