How to become a football coach
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- volunteering
- specialist courses run by a professional body
University
You could study for a foundation degree or a degree in subjects like:
- football coaching and development
- coaching science
There are also undergraduate and postgraduate courses that combine football coaching with subjects like:
- sports business
- management
- talent development
It may help you to also complete an online introductory course offered by the Football Association (FA) like:
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
- a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study
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College
You could do a college course, which will help you to get started. Relevant subjects include:
- Level 2 Award in Coaching Game Based Football
- Level 3 Diploma in Sport
- Level 3 Diploma in Coaching Sports
You'll need to check if your course includes the FA Coaching Awards, or if you need to take these separately.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
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Apprenticeship
You could do a sport community activator coach intermediate apprenticeship or a sports coach higher apprenticeship.
These typically take 18 months to complete as a mix of workplace learning and study.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship
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Volunteering
You could start as a volunteer at your local amateur football club.
This will help to build up your experience and could lead into training for professional coaching qualifications.
Other Routes
You can do coaching qualifications offered by The Football Association.
Qualifications start at introductory level and go all the way up to the Level 5 UEFA Pro Licence for the professional game.
Contact your local County Football Association to get more details about courses.
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Career tips
You'll need some footballing ability so that you can demonstrate skills and techniques when coaching. Getting experience of working with players from a variety of backgrounds and abilities is also useful.
Salaries for coaches in English professional football are much higher than those working in education, the community and for smaller football clubs.
Further information
You can find out more about a career in coaching through The Football Association and UK Coaching.