30 June 2005
Dick Bate: UEFA Pro Licence

FA National Coach Dick Bate is the Director of The FA's UEFA Pro Licence course. Here he speaks to TheFA.com.



Rugby, hockey and athletics have all been on the agenda this week as the top English managers aim to improve their coaching skills.

It may sound like a bizarre approach to training those at the very highest level of football, but FA National Coach Dick Bate insists it is a vital element in developing new ideas.

Bate is Director of The FA's UEFA Pro Licence course currently taking place at Warwick University with a host of Premiership managers enrolled.

And they have been studying the experiences of other sports, as well as learning from top businessmen, in order to expand their talents in the football environment.

Bate believes the likes of Bryan Robson and Steve McClaren can learn a lot from looking at their current approach to coaching from a totally different angle.

"We try to bring in people from outside their normal fields of operation. We have people come in from rugby, athletics and hockey, from the business world, from the management world, just to give it a different slant," he explains.

"You can learn through your own environment or from what happens to you. But a lot of time and effort goes into devising courses that we feel will improve the knowledge and expertise of our coaches.

"We have big names here and they have my utmost respect because they did not have to be here. They have not asked for a free ride to further their career. They are first class people and first class professionals.

"But even they would acknowledge that they don't know everything, because you don't know what you don't know. The managers here have a wealth of experience and information, but what they don't know is what is to come.

"We hope that by being here they do learn new skills and develop new philosophies. And even if they don't do that they will learn informally from other people on the course when they talk over a coffee, or maybe even a beer on the odd occasion.

"They will all go away from here having learned something, and in many cases a lot, both from the formal and informal education that takes place."

Bate believes the fact that top English managers are taking the highest coaching qualification possible augurs well for the future of the game in this country.

But he believes that chairmen must start to recognise the superb level of training that managers who attend the course have received when they are looking to fill vacant positions.

"This course will improve the level of coaching in this country and people who go away from here will acknowledge they are better," Bate adds.

"What it really needs to have maximum impact is to make certain that those people who employ managers in the future respect the level of study that these people have put it and reflect that with jobs.

"I don't really understand why the people who employ managers want to skirt round the fact that somebody has a good track record as a player, a good track record as a coach and has furthered themselves on the UEFA Pro Licence and instead just employ a big name they happen to fancy.

"That has never made sense to me and it makes less sense now we have the expertise to teach our coaches in this country and make us all better."

And Bate has urged coaches at all levels to investigate what coaching course is available to improve their own skills.

"I would have thought there is no question of doubt that FA courses are well worth the value in enhancing somebody's football intellect. But this course is the best and final step you can take."