FAQs for FA Learning, Coaching, Medical and Online Courses.
General FA Learning Questions : Coaching Questions : Medical Questions : Online Course Questions
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General FA Learning Questions
Q: What is FA Learning?
A: FA Learning is the education arm of The FA.
The FA has the responsibility of retaining and growing the football workforce and raising standards to have a positive impact on the game.
The long-term vision is to offer professional, accredited training, enhancing the skills of our current workforce and inspiring and developing the next generation of coaches, referees, medics and administrators.
FA Learning recognises the importance of creating recognised, formal qualification pathways and it is imperative that we encourage lifelong learning and personal responsibility for each individual to manage their own professional development.
Q: Where are courses run?
A: The majority of FA Learning courses are run through your local County FA. Colleges, schools and other organisations also deliver courses – which means there will definitely be a course running near you.
For example, there are approximately 1,500 Level One Award in Coaching Football courses running nationally each year, so there is bound to be one to suit your time schedule.
Every County FA has its own website, which advertises the available courses it is running. You can find the web addresses and contact details by clicking here.
There are also intensive, residential courses. Information on these can be found here.
Q: What is the format of courses?
A: The courses vary in length and contain both practical and theoretical aspects. The approved centre will be able to tell you how long your course is and where it will be held. Remember, some courses might be held in more than one place.
Q: How much does it cost to do a course?
A: The prices of courses vary and are set by the approved centre - the people who actually deliver the course. Prices depend on the type and duration of the course on offer. It’s best to shop around and compare the package offered with the price. It’s worth thinking about the distance you have to travel to the course as well, because this can have a big impact on how much it costs.
Q: How can I contact my local County FA?
A: There is a contact list for each County FAavailable here
Q: What Are Online Courses?
A: More and more courses and supplementary courses can be taken online at your own pace. These courses are easy to use even if you have little computing expertise and flexible around your own schedule. Certificates are automatically sent to candidates upon completion for purchased courses, or can be requested for free courses.
Q: Do I get a certificate when I have completed my Course?
A: Yes, you will get a certificate one you have finished your course. Most of the courses have a certificate included in the course. For some of the free Online Courses you have the option to pay for a certificate if you would like.
Q: I have lost my certificate - how can I get a copy?
A: Duplicate certificates for qualifications can be provided if a record of your achievement of the qualification is held on our qualifications database.
For 1st4sport Qualifications (e.g. The Level 1 Award in Coaching Football), there is a charge of £11.75 for this service and a form to request a replacement is available from 1st4sport Qualifications 0113 290 7610.
Duplicate certificates for other FA Learning courses cost £4.95 for Local or Online courses, and £10 for National Courses. To request a replacement, email FALearningSupport@TheFA.com.
Q: Can I book and pay for courses online?
A: Nearly all County FAs have online systems on their websites to accept online payments for courses with a credit or debit card. Alternatively, you can contact them directly to request a booking form.
Q: How do I know when courses are run?
A: For a list of courses that are happening at your local County FA, you can look on their website. For National Courses, look here.
Q: Where can I take a course - I live outside the UK?
A: Candidates can travel from abroad to take courses. The FA runs specific residential international courses. For more information click here.
Q: How many times can I be reassessed?
A: A candidate is usually registered for a qualification for two years, from the start of the course. In principle you can be re-assessed any number of times during that period. However, this will be usually be dependant on the action plan given out by your external assessor. Candidates needing to be reassessed on more than 2 occasions should consider redoing the course of training.
Q: What is 1st4Sport?
A: 1st4Sport are an awarding body recognised and regulated by the Office of the
Qualifications and Examinations Regulator (Ofqual)
. 1st4Sport work in partnership with FA Learning to deliver the Levels 1, 2 and 3 Awards in Coaching Football.
Q: What is TMG?
A: TMG is The Media Group - it works in partnership with FA Learning to deliver the Safeguarding Children courses.
Q: What should I do if I have a question?
A: If you have a question that is not answered on this page, have a look at our Contact Us page for details on how to get in touch with FA Learning. If your question is about a Local Course contact your County FA for details.
Coaching Questions
Q: Where do I start in my coaching career – what is the structure of the qualifications available?
A: See our coaching pathway here. The coaching pathway is just a diagram which shows how FA Learning’s qualifications build on each other. For example, you couldn’t take your Level 3 before you take your Level 2!
It shows where different levels of qualification fit on The FA framework and help show more easily what type of qualification you could take next.
Q: What is Level 1?
A: The introductory Level One Award in Coaching Football course is available throughout the country and will prepare you for life as a football coach.
This course provides an introduction to the organisation and delivery of safe and enjoyable coaching sessions for players, providing practical drills to develop players’ technical skills such as shooting, turning with the ball and heading.
It is ideal for those who want to work with groups of young players or teams and is great introduction for absolutely anyone with an interest in football. The course takes just a few days of your spare time and nearly always runs over evenings and weekends to help you fit football coaching around your life.
The Level One is just one of 47 different football qualifications run by FA Learning, open to everyone willing to improve their knowledge and experience of the game.
Q: Where can I do the prerequisites for Level 1? (Safeguarding Children & Emergency Aid)
A: Most approved centres will normally offer or incorporate the pre-requisites in to the course of training. If you are not offered this service then stand alone courses are usually run by County FAs.
Q: Do I need to take Level 1 before I take level 2?
A: You don’t actually have to have your Level 1 before you take your Level 2. However, if you’re starting out as a coach, there is a lot of good information available in the Level 1 course, so it’s definitely worth doing! If you’re not sure which one would be best for you, it’s worth talking to an experienced coach or the centre where you are thinking of doing the course. Depending on your experience they will be able to suggest which course is best for you.
Q: What do I do next after the FA Junior Football Organiser’s Course?
A: Most people do either a Level 1 or Level 2 Certificate in Coaching Football. The best thing to do is to discuss your needs, playing and coaching experience with an approved centre, such as your local County FA and they should be able to help you decide which course is most appropriate. You might also consider developing your knowledge in other specific areas which will support your coaching, including such as sports therapy, first aid, psychology or fitness training. Qualifications are available in all these areas.
Q: What is the Youth Award?
A: The Youth Award is a set of qualifications which focus on a child-centred approach to football coaching. The innovative new look at coaching will create coaches who has an understanding of children and young players as well as football.
Q: How Do I Become a Goalkeeping Coach?
A: See our coaching pathway here and our Local and National course pages for information on Goalkeeping Coaches courses.
Q: What is the FA Licensed Coaches Club?
A: The FA Licensed Coaches’ Club provides coaches with the continuous training and support necessary to handle the changing demands of the game. The FA Licensed Coaches Club for Licensed Coaches will include many benefits, including the ability to track your CPD through a new website. Click here for more details on how to join.
Q: How can I get a paid job as a coach?
A: Jobs for coaches are advertised via FACA, may be advertised in local and national press, but a coaches first job is likely to be unpaid and found by going round all the local clubs 'selling' your services to gain experience, results and credibility.
Q: How can I become a coach in the Premier League?
A: Premier League Football academies have their own criteria for the coaches that they employ but most would be looking for a minimum of the Level 3 Award in Coaching Football (The FA UEFA B Award) or higher and significant and successful coaching experience.
Q: How/where can I take my UEFA 'B'?
A: Access to the Level 3 Award in Coaching Football (The FA UEFA B Award) is only available to candidates who have achieved the Level 2 Award in Coaching Football. The qualification is delivered locally and nationally. All national course details can be viewed by clicking here.
Q: How long does it take to become a UEFA A Coach?
A: You can only access the UEFA A License (Level 4) once you have completed the Level 3 Award in Coaching Football (The FA UEFA B Award). The time to get to this level will vary from person to person and will largely depend on your coaching ability and in particular your coaching experience having held the B Licence. This is a very intense and demanding course and you are encouraged to assess your suitability by speaking to a County FA or an experienced coach educator before applying.
Medical Questions
Q: Where can I take a L2 or L3 Treatment of Injury course?
A: The FA Level 2 (Basic) and FA Level 3 (Intermediate) Certificates in the Treatment of Injury courses are run by local county football clubs and colleges of further education. For details of venues, dates and course fees, you should contact your local club or college in the first instance. For further information please contact 1st4Sport on 0113 231 1310, or alternatively visit their website www.1st4Sportqualifications.com.
Q: How can I register for The FA Fitness Trainers Award?
A: The FA Fitness Trainers Award is a post graduate residential course, held over 2 years.
You will find further details & the opportunity to register your interest here
Q: How can I become a therapist - what is the structure of the qualifications available
A: Qualifications include the Level 2 and Level 3 Certificates in the Treatment and Management of Injury in Football. Level 2 is normally a pre-requisite to move on to Level 3 having gained a qualification you are encouraged to develop your experience by offering your services voluntarily to local amateur clubs. With a Level 3 qualification and experience you might consider the FA Diploma in the Treatment and Management of Injury in Football.
Q: How/where can I take my FA Diploma?
A: The FA Diploma is only run nationally and you will find details on dates and costs here.
Q: Can I go straight to The FA Diploma?
A: Candidates will normally need to achieve the Level 2 and 3 Certificates in the Treatment and Management of Injury in Football before applying for The FA Diploma. APL may be available for experienced physiotherapists.
Q: How do I become a tutor?
A: Please send applications for medical tutor status to:
FA Learning
c/o Staffordshire Football Association Limited
Unit F Dyson Court
Staffordshire Technology Park
Beaconside
Stafford
ST18 0LQ
Q: I'm a qualified physiotherapist - can I get APL?
A: There may be opportunities for experienced practitioners to gain APL to access the Level 3 Certificate in the Treatment and Management of Injury or the FA Diploma. All applications for APL should be made to the FA Medical and Exercise Science Department at the address above.
Online Course Questions
Q: How do I enrol on the online courses?
A: Visit our FA Learning homepage then click on 'FA Learning Online Courses'. This will take you to the page where new learners can 'Register' or existing learners can 'Login' and then view and enrol on the online courses through the Online Courses icon.
Q: How much do the online courses cost?
A: There is a selection of free, paid course and discount packages available. You can view all courses and their relevant costs (if any) by following the instructions above.
Q: Why doesn’t my FAN (FA Number) and password log me in to the course?
A: The Online Course platform does not currently use FAN technology. You will have to register a special Online Courses account and password (which you are, of course, free to make the same as your FAN and FAN password). The RESPECT course is the one exception – it is already linked to the FAN system. You need to use your FAN number and password to access that course.
Q: I’ve tried to get to the course but i keep getting an error message? What is happening?
A: Users need to have logged in before they enrol on the course. Please go back and log in (or register if necessary) and then try and enrol on the selected course.
Q: My score and / or progress is not updating?
A: There are a few reasons why this could be happening. Firstly, you will need to make sure you have the relevant free software loaded on to your machine (Java). Java is responsible for sending signals back to the FA server and is responsible for updating learner scores and progress. Java update 22 interferes with our system, so please use update 21 (or later) available here.
Flash is responsible for playing the movies and can be downloaded for free here and only takes a few minutes then requires you to re-start your computer.
Learners must make sure they are closing the course window correctly. They must use the 'CLOSE' option on the bottom of the screen as opposed to the traditional 'x' in the top right corner. If they don’t follow this procedure the score and progress will not update.
Finally, if the courses are being accessed from a networked computer the firewall/security settings can often block the signals from reaching our server – so our recommendation is to use a non-networked PC.
Q: I have tried to launch the course but am getting an Internet error page. What do I do?
A: If you are getting an Internet error page it usually means that you have some anti-virus protection on your computer that is not allowing you to launch the course. You will need to change your settings on your virus protection to allow you to view this course. It would probably be best if you called your virus protection provider so that they can talk you through how to do this without affecting the protection to viruses on your computer.
Q: Why can I not see all of the course screen / scroll bars / the next button?
A: If you cannot see all of the scroll bars or the next button this will be because you do not have the correct screen resolution. Please click on the F11 button on your keyboard and this will change the screen resolution so that you can view all of the necessary information. Also, Vista and IE8 users should increase the zoom bar in the bottom right hand corner to 400% to see the whole screen.
Q: How do I get my certificate?
A: Once you have completed the course you will get the chance to purchase your certificate online in the Lesson Structure. If you fail to get this option and wish to purchase a certificate at £4.95, please contact onlinecoursequery@TheFA.com.
Q: I have completed the course but I have not received my certificate, what do I need to do?
A: Please allow four weeks for your certificate to reach the address you supplied in your Personal Details. Otherwise, please e-mail OnlineCourseQuery@TheFA.com with your Login ID and the Online Manager will look into this for you and ensure that your certificate is sent out in the post as soon as possible.
Q: I have completed the course but it still shows as 'enrolled' or 'in progress'?
Please make sure you have followed all of the following steps:
Ensure you have you have downloaded the latest versions of JAVA before starting the course
Ensure you have you have downloaded the latest versions of FLASH before starting the course
Make sure you are always clicking the ‘CLOSE’ button within the course to exit it, rather than the standard ‘x’ button usually at the top right corner of every internet browser
If there is still an issue, please email
onlinecoursequery@TheFA.com
