A tribute to Dick Bate 1946 - 2018
- 31 May 2018
Dick Bate, influential coach educator and coach, remembered by those in English football who knew him best.
Dick Bate, who passed away on 25 April 2018 aged 71, has been described as the ‘best coach educator’ of a generation as well as an ‘artist’ and ‘master’ of his craft, in a wide range of tributes by his peers in coaching and coach education.
“Dick’s contribution to the game was immense. I’ve spent a lot of time in coaching and coach education and he was the best coach educator I ever worked with. His legacy will be long remembered,” explained former FA head of coaching and long-time friend, John Peacock.
“People put value on his words and became better at their jobs because of him. I’m not sure the wider English game fully understood the work he did behind the scenes and the way that he educated so many people to become better coaches,” added Peacock.
At his funeral on 10 May 2018, many of those who have been influenced by Bate were joined by peers from around the world to pay respects to a man described as leaving an ‘indelible mark on English coaching’.
Bate’s appetite for learning and expanding his horizons, saw him deliver coach education courses in 63 countries across six continents in a wide-ranging career as both an educator and team coach.
As a coach and an educator, he was an artist and the football pitch was his canvas
“His reputation as a coach educator is world-wide. He’s worked on every continent except Antarctica and he’d have gone there to coach if he’d been asked,” said Howard Wilkinson who enjoyed a close relationship with Bate after playing, coaching and working with him for over four decades.
“In my opinion, teaching is the most important profession in the world. Good teachers aren’t as thick on the ground as you’d like; great teachers come along rarely. Dick Bate was a great teacher and a great coach. He loved the game, loved teaching, loved coaching and he loved developing his expertise,” added Wilkinson.
Renowned for his extensive knowledge, eloquent manner and detailed delivery, Bate was very much a standard-bearer for those who wanted a career in the game.
“He had a magnificent way with words. Often the feedback he gave you was direct, but that made it absolutely impactful,” remembers Jim Hicks, Head of Coaching at the PFA.
“The feedback might be on a tiny scrap of paper or a direct comment, but it was the inference behind the comments that had the impact. Quite often you just knew that it wasn’t up to the master’s standard.
“If you got any congratulations it’s because you absolutely earned it. He wouldn’t give away a cheap plaudit – but if you got a pat on the back, a nod, or a ‘well done’ then it was worth its weight in gold” added Hicks.
Still delivering seminars and practical sessions not long before his death, Bate will be long remembered on coach education courses. The FA will dedicate a coach education pitch at St. George’s Park in his name.
“We’re still talking about him on coaching courses now and will continue to. Only recently we were discussing Dick’s amazing ability to connect things together in an intellectual way,” said Hicks.
“One thing we talk about in coaching is shutting the ball down and he would have a connection of key points such as: shut down, slow down, stay down and show down. He was first-class at it and was such a bright thinker.”
Following his renowned demonstrations on coaching courses could be a daunting task, as many in the game would testify.
“After I left my role as FA regional director, Chris Ramsey [now QPR academy manager] came in. When I asked Chris how he had been getting on he told me about one of his first staff courses with Dick,” remembers Peacock.
“Chris said Dick was doing his usual fantastic demonstration of the sweeper system – which was one of his favourites as he had an affinity with German football.
“Chris said it was a masterclass. Unfortunately for him, he was next up on the staff demonstration. He said his opening words to the group were “it’s like the day after the Lord Mayor’s show”.
It wasn’t only in education, but in team coaching that Bate contributed significantly. He worked as a national coach with the England men’s U16 team - where he coached a young Wayne Rooney - as well as enjoying a spell with the Women’s senior side.
During his career, Dick was employed at many professional clubs including Sheffield Wednesday, Notts County, Southend, Lincoln City, Leeds United, Hereford and Cardiff City.
Current England U21 head coach, Aidy Boothroyd, employed Dick as academy manager at Watford.
“Dick joined us as academy manager, but probably his best work was when he came to join me with the first-team.
“During the year we had in the Premier League [2006 -2007 ] Dick was my assistant. However, I think I was probably his assistant most of the time. What I knew about football and what he knew was light years away.
“When you consider the coaches that came through there: myself, Sean Dyche, Malky Mackay, Mark Warburton and others, there has to be an environment for that to happen and Dick was a big part of that.
“He gave people the opportunity to get better and then they have gone on into their own careers. There’s been a ripple effect across the game.”
Dick’s thirst for knowledge was a big part of his identity. Boothroyd recalls the 50 or so videos of different games that Bate brought with him when they shared a house with other members of the technical staff at Watford.
“We couldn’t get anywhere near the TV” joked Boothroyd. “He would watch the games and then write sessions off the back of them. He could create a passing drill off the back of watching a game from Norway.”
He was a man of humility, a true gentleman, respectful, reliable and with a knowledge base that was second to none
For a man with an intense dedication to his profession, there was also a much lighter side. Many shared jokes with him about his colourful choice of ties, lengthy powerpoint presentations and Neil Diamond impressions.
“He had a great sense of humour,” remembers Boothroyd.
“At Watford we went white water rafting. Dick must have been in his late 50s or early 60s and he was one of the ones jumping in the water – it was completely out of the character.
“I also remember the Watford Christmas party: a punk with a bolt through his nose and the biggest mohican you’ve ever seen turned up - and it was Dick.
“He and his wife [Maggie] came as punk rockers, he was 6ft 3 anyway, so he was about 7ft that night. He was a great guy and everybody loved and respected him.”
His lasting impression, however, will be one of important human values.
“He was a man of humility, a true gentleman, respectful, reliable and with a knowledge base that was second to none. But overall he was an ultra-professional and a good person to be around with good values,” explained Peacock.
“We’ve not only lost a top coach and a top coach educator but a really top person,” he added.
In an article Bate wrote for Insight, The FA Coaches’ Association journal, he stressed the importance of learning your trade through spending ‘time on the grass’. And it was outside on the training pitch where Dick was happiest, as Wilkinson perfectly summarised.
“Dick’s idea of heaven was a decent football pitch. The players, bibs, cones and balls were colours on his artist’s pallet. As a coach and an educator, he was an artist and the football pitch was his canvas. His art will live long in the minds of those he taught.”
All at The Football Association fondly remember him.
Dick Bate, football coach, educator and teacher, born 25 June 1946; died 25 April 2018
