Ex-pros in coach education: fast-track or do the hours?

"The big names gets an easy ride while the others have to do it the hard way."

Hard-hitting words from Will Foley - a Welsh based coached perplexed at how quickly Thierry Henry had completed his UEFA A license. What has become obvious is that the Welsh Football Association have fast-tracked Henry through the qualification.

It has been a trend in the past few years for ex pros to go through their coaching badges with the Welsh FA, Sol Campbell (notably criticising the English FA in the process), Roberto Martinez, Jens Lehmann just some examples of this while recently Patrick Vieira praised the Welsh organisation citing that they are "holding our hand" through the process. An interesting view point.

Should Henry have been made to take the course
in it's full duration?

James Beattie took over at Accrington Stanley without having even taken the level two coaching qualification. He claims to have then completed the UEFA B course and assessment within twelve weeks. Will he really have been able to learn everything he can from the course in that time-span?  I have heard tales of other professional footballers being fast-tracked through their courses or given assistance to get by through different national governing bodies. 

Quite frankly, what type of message does this send to aspiring coaches? Particularly ones with no playing background?

It is difficult enough to forge relationships and gather experiences within the game, let alone having to watch players given the easy route up the coaching ladder. It is disheartening to hear and see these stories. For me, I know I will have to work far harder than a recently retired professional going through the same process and that is something I have to accept because it is not going to change any time soon. 

The argument I saw today on social media was 'well what can a player like Henry be taught about management techniques in a classroom'. Personally, I find this quite arrogant and offensive towards the coach education tutors who are employed to teach the game to coaches. These are the people that know all about player development and the principles of play, and how to implement this as a coach. It's not always so much WHAT you are coaching but HOW and WHY!

Thierry Henry's experiences in the game are something I, nor any other coach with little experience in football, can not ever truly relate to. Yet how often have we seen a great player turn out to be a poor manager? Ability as a footballer is by no means a guarantee of football knowledge, and translating that knowledge into coaching is difficult in itself. Gary Neville is finding that out the hard way.

What message does this send to young aspiring coaches?

Having information, experiences or ideas in your head are very different to putting it on to paper or delivering this in a coaching session. This is why coach education is so important. How much of what you know do you truly understand? Can you effectively explain it to a player? Can you demonstrate this knowledge on the training pitch? While you take these courses, you are meant to be going away and practicing your sessions with your own club. Now Thierry Henry probably has access to any club he wants (he has been working with Arsenal) and can coach every day but even then his learning has still been accelerated and he could be missing out on vital components. 

By working so quickly through his badges, Henry is missing out on precious personal development as a coach. Might it not be detrimental to his learning experience to fly through these courses in such a way, leaving him little time to reflect on what he has learnt? I have noticed another ex-professional, moving straight onto the A license having recently passed the B license in England. Unless they are a specially talented coach (which they may well be) it will be very difficult for them to have consolidated their knowledge from the previous course and be ably prepared for the next level.

Would this kind of support or opportunity be available to a coach with little background in professional football? I very much doubt it. If the Football Associations running these courses did so with consistency - or highlighted potential coaches (ex pro or not) who should be fast-tracked - then at least there would be some justification for it.  I am yet to hear of this being an official line of coach education.

This culture of 'jobs for boys' is potentially harmful to the future development of coaches in England and is an issue prevalent across football in general. It is a barrier for people embarking on a coaching career if they see a disparity in how they are treated in comparison to ex professionals. They could be potential influential people who are overlooked and therefore long term this may impact upon the young players this country produces.