It doesn’t matter whether you have your sights set on a coaching career in the Premier League or your local grassroots Sunday football team; the pathway to becoming a qualified coach is clear for anyone.
There are so many different types of qualifications that you would be forgiven if you got confused by them all. In this guide, we will break it all down and look at the best route to coaching and the qualifications you need to succeed from the grassroots level to the semi-professional and professional levels.
What are the different qualifications for a football coach?
- EE Playmaker by England Football
- Introduction to Coaching Football
- UEFA C Licence
- UEFA B Licence
- Advanced Youth Award
- UEFA A Licence
- UEFA Pro Licence
EE Playmaker by England Football
Duration of course: 4-5 hours
Cost of the course: Free
The EE Playmaker by England Football is a free online entry-level course. This course is perfect for anyone who is interested in getting involved in grassroots football. You only need an FA Number (FAN) and either a laptop, tablet or mobile device.
Talking about the course, the Amateur Football website says: “This entry-level football course for volunteers in the grassroots game is open to anyone aged 14 or over. It's completely free, all online and requires no previous football experience or qualifications.”
As part of this course, five modules will cover the following topics:
- Make football 'For All'
- Connect with your players
- Create fun sessions
- Keep football safe
- Take your next step
Once you have completed the course, you can help a grassroots football club with their training and on match days.
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Introduction to Coaching Football
Duration of course: 4 weeks
Cost of the course: £100
The Introduction to Coaching Football is another online course available to anyone who is 16 or over and is looking to take a more active role in the game.
This course is taken by people currently coaching a team and people who are looking to get into coaching, and it aims to help budding coaches create a safe and fun footballing environment, deliver engaging games and training sessions, and learn how to manage parents more effectively.
As part of the course, there will be live weekly webinars, e-learning, community support and a range of resources to provide you with the skills to coach players of all ages.
People taking the course will be able to learn from experienced coaches, also known as coach developers, who will share their experiences and knowledge on the weekly webinars. You will also be able to connect with the course coaching community and ask questions about the best football training equipment to use for different exercises, the best drills to improve certain skill sets, and other tips to develop players.
To pass the course, you will need to work through a number of e-learning modules every week and complete an online assessment. You are given 12 months from your start date to complete the course.
UEFA C Licence
Duration of course: 16-20 weeks
Cost of the course: £650
The UEFA C Licence has replaced the FA Level 2 in Coaching Football course, and it consists of both face-to-face and virtual learning, where expert coach developers will support coaches in tailoring the training to the players they are coaching.
With the course lasting 16-20 weeks, the course allows you to reflect and practice what you have learnt in real-time through practical resources. Coaches taking the course will guide you to future learning resources so you can continue to develop and learn once the course has been completed.
To take part in this course, you must have the following qualifications:
- You must be actively coaching a group of players who regularly undertake training and play in organised or competitive fixtures in England, as the Coach Developers might be required to travel to assess you during the course.
- You must have completed the Introduction to Coaching Football or The FA Level 1 in Coaching Football course.
- You must have the Introduction to First Aid in Football and Safeguarding Children Course qualifications.
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UEFA B Licence
Duration of course: 9-12 months
Cost of the course: £1,200
The UEFA B Licence is a course created to help coaches engage players and be competent at designing relevant, game-like practices. This will help ensure that players are able to develop, practice and prepare for competition.
The UEFA B course is designed for coaches who are already working in the game in non-league football steps 1-4 of the Male National League System and Tiers 1-4 of the Female Football Pyramid, as well as those who have aspirations to progress and work in the professional game.
The course will help coaches better understand the demands of the game and how they can help meet a player's needs and improve their understanding of their role in the team.
To take part in this course, you will need the following qualifications:
- Hold the UEFA C Qualification or the FA Level 2 in Coaching Football course.
- You must be actively coaching a team and committed to that team for the duration of the qualification.
- An in-date Introduction to First Aid in Football or The FA Emergency Aid in Football certificate for our Safeguarding Children Course.
- Be able to communicate in English (including listening, speaking, reading and writing).
Advanced Youth Award
Duration of course: Over 13 days
Cost of the course: £3,435
This specialist course is specifically aimed at coaches working with youth footballers. The Advanced Youth Award says it aims to “help create a highly skilled, world-class community of youth coaches within the English game by building upon expertise gained within The FA’s Long-Term Player Development Model and working towards an improved delivery of high-class technical programmes for young players”.
Coaches who take this course will develop their coaching skills, learn new ideas and methods, and be able to communicate and bounce ideas off of like-minded people.
The course includes 10 face-to-face learning days, three-day in-situ support visits (minimum), and multiple online workshops and sessions.
To take part in this course, you will need the following qualifications:
- Be working in boy’s academy football at a club within the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP)
- Have completed The FA Youth Award.
- Have completed the UEFA B Licence.
- Have completed the Emergency First Aid in Football.
- Have completed the Safeguarding Children Course or The FA Safeguarding Children Workshop.
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UEFA A Licence
Duration of course: 12 months
Cost of the course: Face-to-face
The UEFA A Licence looks to build on the technical and tactical content covered within the UEFA B Licence.
It is the highest practical coaching award available and focuses on improving your understanding of modern trends in the game, strategies, tactics, and systems of play.
This course focuses purely on the philosophies of play in 11v11 football with the aim of producing coaches who are technically and tactically adept in the modern game but ones who can conduct specific coaching drills to develop players within their teams.
To take part in this course, you will need the following qualifications:
- Have completed the UEFA B Licence and have it showing on your FAN.
- Under the UEFA Coaching Convention 2020, coaches must have held the UEFA B Licence qualification for at least one year before the course starts in January 2025.
- If you are currently taking part in another FA Level 4 (Advanced Youth Award, UEFA Goalkeeping A Licence, Leadership of Talent Identification or Development in Football) qualification, you will not be able to participate in this course.
UEFA Pro Licence
Duration of course: 18 months
Cost of the course: £13,700
The UEFA Pro Licence is the highest-level coaching course that is offered and is aimed at coaches working for professional football clubs. The England Football Learning website describes the aim of the course as “designed to develop highly-skilled and aspiring leaders, managers and coaches capable of creating sustained success in football”.
Coaches working through this course will build on the technical knowledge that they have developed with a focus on creating a winning team leadership and management strategies to help improve your understanding of coaching.
Building on the technical knowledge you’ve developed on your learning journey, the focus is on developing winning team leadership and management strategies that will challenge your knowledge and understanding of coaching.
To take part in this course, you will need the following qualifications:
- This course is specifically designed for people who are aiming to work for a professional team at the very top of the game in leadership and management positions within the Premier League, Football League, FA Women’s Super League, Women’s Championship and the international game.
- You must have passed the UEFA A Licence and held the qualification for 12 months minimum.
- Experience in a full-time position in the professional game as either a manager, assistant manager, coach, academy manager, head of recruitment or a player who has a minimum of five years of professional playing experience.
- An Advanced Youth Award is recommended.
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The different qualifications for football coaches
If you are an aspiring coach or manager who wants to start on your journey in the footballing world, this guide takes you through the different courses that are available to you, which range from grassroots football all the way to the professional game.
If you are a manager or coach and you are looking for football products, Diamond Football offers a wide range of equipment. We supply everything from football bibs to football rebound nets.
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