UCFB News

By Alex Turk

It’s no secret that being a football manager comes with its highs and lows, as with any other role in the football industry, but not enough protection has been provided by football clubs in the past to guard against one of the industry’s greatest taboos.

When it comes to sport, being in good mental health goes a long way to becoming successful. But depression alone affects up to half of the world’s population during our lifetime, and with elite...

By Rebecca Hawksworth

With over a decade of managerial experience, Hull City manager Nigel Adkins spoke to UCFB students at a recent Executive Guest Speaker session to give them expert advice on how to deal with the pressures of being a football manager.

Adkins’ top tip was, that with football being such an intense and demanding industry to work in, some sort of release away from the game is vital.

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By Rebecca Hawksworth

Football is a game of passion and expectation, something that former Glasgow Rangers manager Mark Warburton knows a lot about having managed at the top level since 2013.

Warburton, whose former clubs also include Brentford and Nottingham Forest, explained during a recent interview with UCFB how head coaches have to appreciate the expectation of fans and the pressures that are on their shoulders when taking on a job.

Speaking exclusively to UCFB, Warburton said: “You have to remember that...

By Rebecca Hawksworth

Having previously managed at clubs such as Newcastle United and Birmingham City, and now in charge at Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion, Chris Hughton knows exactly what it takes to get the best out of a team.

In an exclusive interview with UCFB, as part of the LMA Insight Series, Hughton told us how to keep a squad and backroom staff happy and how to maintain strong working relationships for the benefit of a club.

Hughton, who spent...

By Rebecca Hawksworth

Hull City manager Nigel Adkins imparted several pieces of important advice to UCFB students hoping to forge a career within football management during a recent Executive Guest Speaker session.

Having also previously been in the dugout at Scunthorpe United, Southampton, Reading and Sheffield United, Adkins is well placed within the game and knows first-hand what it takes for an individual to become a successful coach or manager.

UCFB offers several coaching and management related programmes across both of its campuses,...

By Max Carlyle

Reading FC Women’s manager Kelly Chambers has lauded recent developments in sports psychology as hugely beneficial for how mental health is perceived in football.

Speaking exclusively to UCFB, she revealed how psychological help for players and staff is the next logical step for the club as it battles for supremacy in the Women’s Super League. Chambers said: “I believe that it will be very useful for us to progress to that next level; for us as a club it’s...

By Rebecca Hawksworth

Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill spoke of the differences between club and international management during a recent Executive Guest Speaker appearance at UCFB Etihad Campus.

O’Neill began his managerial career with Scottish side Brechin City before moving back to Ireland and enjoying a two-year stint with Shamrock Rovers. Having then moved in to international management in 2011, O’Neill spoke to students about some of the key tests he faced when taking charge of Northern Ireland’s national side.

He said: “It...

By Max Carlyle

As a player, manager and chairman, to call Niall Quinn a seasoned veteran of the game would be an understatement. Between the start of his playing days at Arsenal in 1983 to his current role as a co-commentator and pundit at Sky, among many others, the former Republic of Ireland international has observed a shift in the landscape of how football is consumed by its audience.

During a talk with students at UCFB Wembley, Quinn had a lot to...

By Rebecca Hawksworth

Former Tottenham Hotspur boss Harry Redknapp gave students an inside look into the world of elite football management during his recent guest speaker talk at UCFB Wembley.

Redknapp is one of the most established and well respected managers in the English game, having also managed clubs including West Ham United, Portsmouth, QPR and Birmingham City.

Having experienced the Champions League, Premier League and Championship as a manager, and coached players including Gareth Bale and Paolo Di Canio, Redknapp is well...

By Rebecca Hawksworth

In an exclusive interview with UCFB as part of the LMA Insight Series, Brighton & Hove Albion manager Chris Hughton shared his thoughts on how to be a successful football coach and the opportunities for black and minority coaches in the industry.

The former Newcastle United, Birmingham City, and Norwich City manager also discussed how to deal with setbacks in your career and the best way to get a foot in the door in the sports industry.

“I’ve always been...