More free football coaching courses

Published by Matt Critchley for Severnside Housing in Housing and also in Communities

Budding young Roy Hodgsons or Stuart Pearces have more chances to become qualified football coaches for free, following the success of a partnership between Severnside Housing and the Shropshire Football Association.

Earlier this year, Severnside and the Shropshire FA joined forces to offer young people aged 16-25 the opportunity to develop new skills, make new friends, keep active and gain a qualification in football coaching.

The course, which was free for Severnside residents, proved so popular that three more are now being offered, in July, September and November.

The courses all include sections on football skills, coaching skills, first aid and safeguarding children and will be run over five sessions based at the Sundorne Sports Village in Shrewsbury. They are free for anyone living in a Severnside Housing property and transport to and from Sundorne is available.

The courses are a mixture of practical and theory learning sessions, with a programme of assessments spread across the five sessions. Following successful completion of the course, attendees will receive the ‘1^st4Sport’ Level 1 Certificate in Coaching Football (known as L1CCF) along with formal feedback of their performance and an action plan for further development.

Edge Abboh, community development officer at Severnside Housing, said: “When we offered this course back in March, lots of people were interested, so we’ve worked with the Shropshire FA to repeat the course, and offer a great chance for young people to gain a qualification in football coaching. As well as developing skills and coaching techniques, the course looks at discipline, ethics and safety, and is the first rung on the FA’s football coaching ladder.

“The course is also ideal for anyone looking for an introduction to working with grass-roots football clubs or help young people develop their football skills correctly at a young age.

He added: “Severnside is committed to enhancing life chances for young people to help them get involved in education, employment, training and volunteering opportunities.  This is a very important initiative for us as we are always looking at various ways of engaging with young people and how they can use their skills to benefit their local communities.”

Anyone interested in enrolling for this free course should visit http://bit.ly/MxV23D or contact Edge Abboh at Severnside Housing on 01743 285000 or 0845 234 2424.