Coach Inclusion and Diversity Scheme (CIDS) 2026 / 2027 Season

Step Into the Game: A Career-Changing Coaching Opportunity

Contract Type: 23-month fixed-term
Role & Development Programme: The successful candidate will divide their time between Coventry City Academy Coach employment and the Premier League Coach Development Programme
Location: The Alan Higgs Centre, Coventry

Join the Coach Inclusion & Diversity Scheme (CIDS)

Coventry City Football Club, in partnership with the Premier League, is proud to support the Coach Inclusion & Diversity Scheme for the 2026/27 season. We're offering a 23-month, full-time academy coaching role to the successful candidate to support the development of the next generation of football coaches. The scheme is open to all, and we particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and mixed heritage backgrounds, and women, as they are underrepresented groups amongst the coaching roles that exist across the professional game.

What’s Involved?

You’ll split your time between Academy coaching at Coventry City and the Premier League’s accredited Coach Development Programme. You’ll gain experience across development phases and work with multi-disciplinary teams.

Your development journey will include:

· Mentoring and bespoke support

· Immersive learning experiences

· Peer learning

· Access to FA/UEFA qualifications (based on development need and subject to availability)

On successful completion of all programme elements, you’ll be awarded a Diploma in Professional Football Coaching from Leeds Beckett University.

What We’re Looking For

Essential criteria:

· UEFA B Licence as a minimum

· No prior full-time 1st Team or Academy coaching role at a Premier League or EFL club

· Experience of coaching in one, or more, of the following environments: grassroots, community, education, development centre or part-time academy football settings

· FA Safeguarding Certificate, Emergency First Aid, and Enhanced DBS (to be completed prior to role commencement)

Desirable criteria:

· Experience of coaching a team or group of players on a regular basis

· Experience of holistic youth development activities within, or beyond, sport

· UEFA A Licence or FA Advanced Youth Award

· Teaching experience

You’ll bring:

· A drive to coach in the professional game

· Passion for player development & developmentally appropriate learning environments

· Commitment to fulfilling duty of care for children, young people, and adults in healthy, high-performance environments

· Resilience and commitment to high-performance environments

· Excellent communication and relationship-building skills

· A desire to be a role model and ambassador for diversity in the game

What You Will Do

You will be fully immersed into the role of a full time coach at Coventry City Academy, based out of the Alan Higgs Centre in Coventry. Working within one of the Academy phases, you will gain experience working as part of a multidisciplinary team in player development, planning delivering and reflecting on coaching sessions linked to individual development plans. You will coach as part of the Premier League Category Two games programme, both leading and assisting fixtures across the Foundation and Youth Phase, whilst also gaining an understanding of how an Academy wide coaching and playing philosophy is used to support the individual players. Additionally, you will receive a bespoke staff development action plan, allowing you to work on different areas of your coaching craft, both on and off the field.