College course to help you kick-start a life in football
JAMES WildSMith has a passion for football and is now making the sport his life.
he already holds a level 2 FA coaching qualification as well as an FA Youth Award and is now studying for a higher National diploma in sports coaching.
the 22-year-old, from Birmingham, is in his second year at Stourbridge College where his course involves spending around three days a week at Birmingham City Football Club.
Stourbridge, one of eight Birmingham Metropolitan College (BMet) campuses, runs the qualification in partnership with the University of Worcester, and James plans to top up his course with a full honours degree at the university.
he says: ‘Studying this way has lots of advantages. Class sizes are smaller, the course fees are cheaper, and because you spend more time with your tutors, it’s much easier to build relationships with them.
‘the course covers every aspect of coaching, such as physiology, psychology and the application of sports coaching. You’re taken from the theory side of sports science into the practical applications of coaching and performance analysis.’
Apart from his level 2 FA qualification, James had also completed volunteer coaching stints at schools in dudley in the West Midlands and Shrewsbury, in Shropshire, before starting his course at Stourbridge.
he says: ‘i do feel lucky that i’ve been able to do so much coaching. All of it is very different but equally useful in helping me develop my skills. But without a higher level qualification to back up what i’ve done, i know i’ll be held back from going any further, which is why i’m doing my course.’
James aims to work as a full-time coach or become a PE teacher after completing his course.
he is currently studying modules in business and event promotion to help students become freelance coaches or even set up their own company.
Whatever the progression route, James believes that passion for the job is the key attribute coaches need. he says: ‘if you aren’t interested in what you’re doing or in the people you’re helping, not only will you find it difficult to motivate yourself, it will also be impossible to motivate anyone else.
‘Even once you become a professional coach, you’re never a finished product. it’s important that you’re still willing to learn and keep gaining more experience.
‘if the people i’m coaching do something i wasn’t expecting, then it’s important to react quickly. When things don’t go to plan, it’s always good to learn from the experiences. it makes you a better coach in the long run.’