Capital masterclass for BME coaches

The FA’s Noel Blake and Brendon Batson were special guests at a coaching clinic for Black and Minority Ethnic coaches in Greenwich last week.

Organised by the Black and Asian Coaches Association and with support from Kick It Out and The FA, the London Soccerdome event saw over 100 aspiring coaches given a first-hand glimpse of sessions run by Noel Blake, England U19’s coach, Chelsea’s newly appointed Technical Director, Michael Emanelo and Ose Aibangee, Director of Youth Development at Brentford FC.

Sir Trevor Brooking, The FA’s Director of Football Development, emphasised the importance of gaining the necessary coaching qualifications during his opening address: “Wherever you come from, no matter what your background, there are limited opportunities. If you go through the appropriate structures and gain the correct qualifications, you give yourself a better chance of employment.”

He continued: “If you have got your badges and you are a good quality coach, there is nothing that should stop you from progressing, regardless of which community you are from. It really is up to you.”

Brendon Batson, one of the game’s true pioneering black footballers, breaking through to prominence in the 1970’s, is now a consultant for The FA, and echoed Trevor’s sentiments and added: “Football does recognise there is a lack of coaches from the BME community and there is a huge level of under-representation.”

He added: “There is a certain fascination with working in the elite game, yet people are really needed at the age appropriate levels. It is vital to enhance your CV, so that when there is an opening, you can present prospective employers with your different qualifications.”

Luton United’s head coach, Butch Fazal, who was joined at the event by fellow grassroots leader, Lincoln Moses, general manager for Continental Star, a leading amateur side from Birmingham, encouraged participants to make a big push in order to break into the industry: “It’s a cut-throat and competitive business. You must put yourself forward and network in order to progress.”

Following the event’s introduction, participants broke out into a series of workshops. Those involved were able to gain qualifications in emergency first aid and child protection, and to learn about the process of filling in forms to pass a CRB check.

Ellie Kemp, who works in community sport in Barking and Dagenham, spoke positively about the coaching clinics she attended: “These sort of events are landmarks. When they do happen, it makes you think why don’t they occur more often? A lot of women see this barrier standing in the way of them when it comes to these types of forums. It has been absolutely fantastic to get hands-on experience and to meet lots of different people from various backgrounds.”

Stephen Sodje, co-founder of the Sodje Foundation and a former semi-professional footballer, received his certificate in emergency first aid, and said: “To be able to come to an event like this, free of charge, and achieve these qualifications is very beneficial. It has been extremely worthwhile for me. I look around and see all these youngsters here, and although not all of them may actually go into coaching, they are learning different disciplines and benefiting from the experience.”

Bringing an end to the day’s activity, Noel Blake and Michael Emanelo joined Earl Barrett, a former England international and now Kick It Out’s Mentoring and Leadership project manager, to take part in a panel discussion.

Reflecting on his rise to prominence, Michael talked about the importance of the relationships he built along the way: “Networking is important. When I think about the position I am in today, I had a lot of faith put in me. Managers I have played and worked for have given me the support I need. Now, I have to fight to stay where I am.”

Noel, who turned out for Aston Villa, Birmingham City and Portsmouth during a 22-year playing career, concluded proceedings by summing up his own thoughts on where football management will take him next: “Will I go back to working domestically? You never say never. At this stage, working in the national set-up is the best thing for my development, but I always like to look at fresh challenges.”

Dr Colin King, founder of BACA, concluded: “We need to be more proactive in our community. We need to stand up and start challenging. We need to be involved in the political governance and those democratic processes to sit alongside the county structures and The FA to make sure that if any recruitment is made, we are involved in that process.”

Football’s summer equality drive continues on 2 August, when COACH, a brand new film aimed at encouraging more coaches from BME backgrounds to get their qualifications, is launched.

Produced for The FA by Brendon Batson, COACH features interview with Noel Blake, Chris Hughton and Hope Powell.