FA courses give you time to grow
During his time as Liverpool U18 head coach, Steven Gerrard, told Peter Glynn, FA Education content editor, about his experience on the FA’s coaching pathway.
Steven Gerrard believes more former England internationals will follow his lead and pursue a career in coaching and management as a result of significant changes to the FA coaching pathway.
The former England and Liverpool captain, who has recently taken a role as Liverpool’s U18s coach, believes the new courses give candidates “time to grow” and are less "intimidating" than previous years – changes he believes will make coaching a more attractive career path for players who are considering life beyond playing.
The good thing about the FA now is they’ve changed the courses, they’ve evolved the courses and they’re more enjoyable
“A lot of ex-players over the years have been put off by the amount of work you have to put in on the [coaching] courses,” explained Gerrard.
“ I think [in the past] it was almost a test on the courses and people were intimidated to fail and didn’t want to be put in the spotlight in front of all the other people that were on the course,” he added.
The 37-year-old recently completed the UEFA A Licence with tutor support from the PFA (the Professional Footballers' Association) and praised the new course design which involves in situ coach education support within the club environment.
“The good thing about the FA now is they’ve changed the courses, they’ve evolved the courses and they’re more enjoyable.
“You’ve still got to put the work in, but you get time to grow. So when you are judged or tested, you feel more ready.
“Also, there are bespoke courses available which is better for your time individually and people come out to you. I think the courses and the thought of going into coaching now is a lot more enjoyable and less intimidating than it was years ago.”
Notably, Gerrard highlighted The FA 4 Corner Model – which looks at the four key areas of player development: technical/tactical; physical; psychological; and social – as key to his coach education so far.
“I’ve learned an awful lot about the individual player and the four corners. I’ve also gained valuable [coaching] experience.
“When I first took this job [Liverpool U18s] I felt a lot more comfortable because I’d coached a lot on all of the courses. I was more prepared to set a coaching session up, how to evaluate a player, how to look for different things and not just talent and what he does on the ball, but how he behaves off the pitch and his mentality.
“It’s given me a good education so far on everything around a player, a team, and how to set a coaching session up. I’m really pleased I went in and got into the coaching badges because it has been a big, big help.”
I think the thought of going into coaching now is a lot more enjoyable and less intimidating than it was years ago
Gerrard praised the efforts of FA technical director, Dan Ashworth, for encouraging ex-England internationals to follow a career in coaching or management.
“We’ve got the right people in charge at the FA with the likes of Dan Ashworth who is in touch with the likes of myself and a lot of English players who are coming out of the game.
“He’s trying to get more English players involved in courses, he’s trying to progress more English people along the coaching ladder so there’s more available to pick from. So, I think you’ve got to give Dan a lot of credit. The talks and chats I had with him over the courses – I couldn’t ask for any more help,” explained Gerrard.
The former England captain revealed that he started to think about coaching in his mid-twenties whilst still playing but regrets only starting his coaching qualifications in the latter part of his career.
“I had a feel in my mid-twenties that after my career was finished I wanted to stay involved in the game. I’m really excited about the thought of tactics, coaching and giving a bit back and having an impact on a group and individuals to try and help them in the game – I learned an awful lot from coaches and sessions in my career.
“My advice [for a player coming to the end of their career] would be to get on the coaching ladder as soon as possible.”
In summer 2018, Steven Gerrard was announced as manager of Rangers. Article image courtesy of Stuart Wallace/REX/Shutterstock.