BA (Hons) Football Coaching & Management *

Introduction to Football Management

The module introduces the necessary understanding and skills for effective leadership and management within association football. This will be considered at different levels of the national game. Students will be able to identify the skills and qualities required by individuals to succeed in management from grass roots critically evaluating management in the elite game. Students will be exposed to case study examples of successful and unsuccessful managers at different levels of the game and will compare and contrast different styles. Students will explore what the key qualities, characteristics and roles of an effective manager in association football across all levels of the game.

Fundamentals of Coaching

This module provides the opportunity for students to develop communication skills in a complex manner for a variety of different audiences. It also allows students to critically evaluate theory and reflectively apply to performance in a practical setting. The student will apply coaching theory to a number of physical contexts and maintain a portfolio of coaching plans to support. They will apply theory pertinent to the subject area and apply that to reflective written assignments and other problem solving activities. They will have a clear understanding of own strengths and weaknesses and a plan for how to improve both technical and behavioural skills relevant to a career in the coaching industry.

Football Principles & Practice

The first part of the module will look closely at the development of the key fundamental technical components of football. Coaches will develop their understanding of the technical detail and execution of techniques used in football in both technical practices (unopposed) and skill practices (opposed).  Essentially this module is designed to provide the coaches with an essential ‘coaching toolkit’, to develop players’ technical performance of players aged 5-12 years. The second part of module will look closely at the principles of play both attacking and defending and how students can develop individuals’ understanding of the game and how to manage mistakes within practice situations. Students will be able to design practices which will develop players’ game craft and game understanding through small sided games and the use of Teaching Games for Understanding (TGFU) and constrains lead coaching principles. Allowing students to explore a player centred approach which allows the player to be actively involved in their own learning and development through decision making and problem solving rather than receiving all the information from the coach (Araujo, Davids & Shuttleworth, 2008).

Coaching in the Community

This module provides the opportunity for students to develop knowledge required for operating in different and safe environments. It allows students to critically evaluate theory and reflectively apply it to performance. It also allows the application of coaching theory to age and ability-related practical.

It facilitates the application of theory pertinent to the subject to community sports projects.

The students will have a clear understanding of own strengths and weaknesses and a plan for how to improve both technical and behavioural skills relevant to a career in the community coaching industry and how to support community sports projects.

Managing Teams & Individuals

This module explores key principles of leadership and management and examines leadership styles in football. Students will study and evaluate leadership and management skills and consequent behaviors. Moreover, students will be able to develop their management knowledge and understanding to elevate a career within the football industry in a management role. The module will facilitate analysing what behaviors are evidenced as being successful in association football to manage, players, teams and backroom staff. The utilisation of change management strategies and consideration of psychological factors, such as stress management, confidence building, motivation and ways of working with different personalities will be examined.

Talent Development

The aim of this module is to provide the student with an understanding of performance pathways developed by organisations to develop players to their full potential. The module will also examine the support mechanisms which aid in this development of players.

Research Methods

The aim of this module is to provide the student with an understanding of research principles, a range of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies and appropriate analysis for these.

Football Tactics & Strategies

This module ensures students acquire a systematic understanding of the principles of play appropriate to Association Football and advanced tactical and strategic knowledge relevant to the 11 vs.11 format of the game. Students will explore different formations and the roles of responsibilities of players. This module builds on the technical and tactical syllabus delivered at level 4, but looks more specifically at movement off the ball and key movement triggers to develop patterns of play. Coaches will develop their understanding of progression starting with one specific aspect of team play working with individuals and building on the foundations of the previous module, with more emphasis on coaching 13-21 years to working with units and then whole team triggers in functional practices and phases of play and 11 vs. 11 game situations. Students will design practices which will develop players’ positional play and understanding through functional practices and phases of play.

Leadership & Management

Self-analysis and development of leadership and management qualities are a prerequisite for students wishing to elevate their career in sports business management or associated fast moving consumer group (FMCG) industries. The aim of this module is to enable students to understand and evaluate their leadership and management skills and consequent behaviours. They will learn how to appraise managerial and leadership theory and to develop their own leadership and management skills pertinent to a career as a business manager.

The module supports students as they identify and develop their strengths and development opportunities supported by a clear and measurable development plan to improve their management and leadership behaviours.

High Performance Coaching

This module will introduce a selected range of sports that will give the learner the opportunity to develop and appreciate the skills, techniques and strategies in a range sporting activities at a high performance level.

The module will seek to analyse techniques used by high performance coaches by developing an awareness of the demands and considerations of coaching in different high-performance environments.

The student will critically analyse (through observation or delivery) practices to develop skills and improve high performance in an athlete. Practical experiences/observations will support the acquisition of theoretical principles throughout.

An academic examination of selected contemporary issues, relating to those strategies used for preparation and performance in the selected sports will be undertaken.

Match Analysis

This module aims to provide students with framework to support the ongoing cycle of the coaching process.  Coaches are required to observe, analyse, evaluate and provided feedback to players after performance. Throughout the module students will explore key performance indicators with particular reference to both technical and tactical analysis.

Students will establish how to use range of match analyse methods from notational to applying technological advancements to enhance their efficacy in providing feedback. Students will develop techniques to evaluate teams overall performance both technical and tactical in order to provide feedback in order for intervention planning.

Dissertation

This module aims to provide students with the opportunity for independent learning through the completion of an individual, extended research project. The project requires a high level of individual application and commitment to research and enquiry. It provides students with the opportunity to identify, reflect upon and explore a topic that has implications for their own professional development.