Job vacancy: Professional player to coach scheme

Fleetwood Town are recruiting a former professional footballer to enrol on our player to coach scheme.

Bursary: 23 - month placement

Time commitment: The successful candidate will divide their time between the Fleetwood Town Football Club work placement and their individual development plan on a 50:50 basis (which equates to two and a half days a week for each)

Key relationships: Fleetwood Town Football Club, Premier League, The PFAC and the EFL

Location: Poolfoot Farm Sports & Leisure Complex, 52 Butts Road, Thornton - Cleveleys, FY5 4HX

Background

Professional football must reflect modern Britain. The Premier league, Professional Footballers’ Association Charity (PFAC) and English Football League (EFL) are seeking to improve the diversity of football coaches in the professional game to make this area more representative. As part of their commitment to improving diversity, they have jointly launched the Professional Player to Coach Scheme (PPCS) to encourage, build and support the transition of under-represented Black, Asian, Mixed Heritage Men and Women who are PFA members into football coaching in the professional game so that football at all levels better represents the wider communities in which it is played, enjoyed and serves.

2. What is the Professional Player to Coach Scheme?

The Professional Player to Coach Scheme is a positive action initiative, informed by provisions established in the Equality Act 2010, to support the strategic aim of building an inclusive and diverse professional coaching workforce.

Fleetwood Town Football Club in partnership with the Premier League, PFAC and EFL aim to identify a high potential coach to undergo a work experience and development opportunity, so that after the Scheme, they become highly employable within the professional game. Simultaneously, the Premier League, PFAC and EFL want to be able to recognise and support Clubs involved in the Scheme as Inclusion and Diversity role models.

The Professional Player to Coach Scheme will provide a 23-month rotational work experience and development programme for the successful candidate. The Club will act as the ‘base’ of the placement programme and the individual will experience a variety of football functions within the Academy and Club in order to broaden their learning experience.

The Coach will divide their time between the work placement and their individual development plan on a 50:50 basis which equates to two and a half days a week for each. The placement will include coaching and observation across the Foundation (FP), Youth Development (YDP) and Professional Development Phases (PDP) as well as the First-Team environment, Physical Performance and Conditioning, Recruitment, Analysis, and Administration.

Coaches will also enter the Premier League’s Coach Development Institute Programme (CDIP). This programme will include elements of virtual and face to face mentoring, workshops, peer learning, projects, study visits and FA/UEFA qualifications dependent on need.

The programme will be a fully integrated opportunity based at the Fleetwood Town Football Club and designed to accelerate the successful candidates’ coaching knowledge and ability in order to better equip them for future full-time coaching work.

The candidate invited onto the Scheme, following a successful selection process, will be expected to demonstrate drive and resilience in order to reach a high standard across a range of skills and competencies tailored to the needs of the individual.

3. Objectives of the Scheme

To increase the number of PFA members who are Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage Men and Women, transitioning into full-time coaching positions in English Professional Football

To provide selected PFA Members with work placement and training opportunities within EFL Clubs, which include a range of professional roles within both the academy and First Team environment
To substantially improve employment prospects for coaches who complete the Scheme
To provide each of the coaches with their own development programme to ensure that they are appropriately trained and supported to become successful coaches and visible role models
To recognise Clubs that role model excellent Inclusion and Diversity practices, as well as supporting those who wish to develop in this area

4. Candidate Description

Background	Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage Men and Women who are PFA Members This is a positive action scheme aimed at addressing under-represented groups in football coaching. Applications will only be accepted from individuals who identify as being from those backgrounds
Experience	Essential PFA Member Professional playing experience in men’s or women’s football No previous experience of full-time coaching in a Premier League or English Football League Club Desirable First Team playing experience Experience of coaching a team or group of players on a regular basis
Qualifications	Essential UEFA B Licence Current FA Safeguarding Certificate Enhanced DBS Clearance Emergency Aid Certificate Desirable UEFA A Licence
Person Specification	The Scheme is looking for candidates with high potential to be role models and world-class football coaches Candidates should be able to demonstrate the appropriate skills required for a football coach working in a Multi-Disciplinary Team Candidates should be able to demonstrate high-level interpersonal skills, where they can communicate effectively and appropriately with a wide range of individuals and groups of people Candidates should be able to demonstrate the resilience required to be able to succeed in challenging high-performance football environments Candidates should be able to demonstrate a high motivation to become a football coach in English Professional Football and to help other footballers and teams to successfully develop and perform The Scheme is interested in candidates who have an aspiration to work at any age group (Foundation Phase, Youth Development Phase, Professional Development Phase and/or First Team)

5. How to Apply

The Professional Player to Coach Scheme placement opportunity welcomes applications from coaches who are Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage men or women and are PFA members. Reasonable adjustments will be made for any applicant with a disability and these should be requested directly to Jamie Sykes (Recruitment Manager) at recruitment@fleetwoodtownfc.com.

Fleetwood Town Football Club believe in equal opportunities and all applications will be assessed on merit only. Fleetwood Town Football Club will be using a blind-shortlisting process to identify candidates who will be invited to interview. All personal data that the applicant shares on the equality monitoring form will be submitted separately and not form any part of the application process. This information is collected simply to see if our advert is reaching a wide and diverse range of applicants who are applying for this role. The successful candidate will be selected based on merit as measured against the candidate description and person specification, set out above.

To apply, please submit an application following these guidelines. Applications can be typed, recorded or written (example: video or audio).

Fleetwood Town Football Club will only consider applications from candidates who meet the above criteria.

Please confirm that you match each of the criteria for the application using a brief application letter and CV
Include a reference(s) from a coach developer(s) and/or coach(es) describing your football coaching potential. This could be typed, recorded or written
Include answers to the following questions (no more than 500 words per answer):

Please explain why you would like to join this initiative and what you want to achieve during the work experience.

What is it that appeals to you about being a full-time football coach? Please provide evidence to demonstrate your desire to be a full-time coach if you successfully complete this initiative.
If you were successful in becoming a full-time coach after the work experience, what would you personally want to do to progress equality, inclusion, diversity and coaching in English professional football?
Please explain where you see yourself in five and ten years and why?

If you would like to be contacted regarding other development opportunities, please let us know in your application.

6. Deadline for Applications

Please submit your application by Wednesday 28 July 2021. Please email your application and any queries to recruitment@fleetwoodtownfc.com. Please email if you require any assistance in applying. We would support applications in other formats (for example by video or audio) if required.

By submitting your application, you are agreeing to Fleetwood Town Football Club and the Premier League processing your personal details for the purpose of administering and evaluating the Scheme in accordance with Fleetwood Town Football Club and the Premier League’s privacy notices.

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