Job Description
This is an exciting opportunity to work across the Premier League, EFL, and the FA.
As part of the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) — the Professional Game’s national strategy for developing youth footballers in England — professional club Academies are placed into one of four categories (Category 1 to 4). These categories are based on a combination of factors, including investment levels, facilities, staffing, and the quality of provision across key multidisciplinary areas.
To effectively categorise Academies and to support the continual raising of standards in elite player development, an independent standards organisation has been developed, mandated by the professional game, to monitor safety, compliance and the quality of work being delivered across both the male and female environments. The female talent pathway aims to support the development of more and better home-grown players through two key programmes.
The independent standards organisation oversees a multidisciplinary assessment of Academies across Leadership and Management, Coaching, Performance Support, Education, Player Care, Safeguarding, Pathway and Productivity.
As part of the above, the Coaching Auditor will be responsible for auditing organisations and practices across the multidisciplinary areas of development pathways.
The Role
Review and Evaluation of Coaching and Multidisciplinary Programmes:
- Using the Academy Standards assessment framework, assess the quality of Coaching provision across talent development pathways
- Accurately and fairly report findings, identifying quality, risk and development areas
- Manage the end-to-end auditing/quality assurance process, ensuring the operation runs as smoothly as possible for the club and auditing team
- Ensure a consistent assessment is given, no matter the auditor or club
General Responsibilities:
- Deliver annual Club visits to ensure adherence with Safe to Operate and Compliance guidelines and the Youth Development Rules and FA Criteria
- Support the development of a suitable Academy standards framework and auditing practices
- Using outcomes from Club audits to undertake trend analysis to inform future learnings
- Meet tight deadlines
- Ensure the auditing team maintains an up-to-date knowledge of good practice
Role Requirements
- Experience working, coaching and leading development programs with young athletes, especially within an academy system or development squads (male or female pathways)
- Leading or mentoring other coaches, including designing CPD programmes or overseeing coaching frameworks
- Sound knowledge of talent identification and pathways
- Experience in navigating complex and highly pressurised working environments and cultures, establishing effective working relationships across a diverse range of stakeholders (sporting directors, senior decision makers, first team managers/coaches).
- Working within a multidisciplinary environment, collaborating with analysts, sports science, medical, education, player care, safeguarding, etc
- Previous experience in reviewing, assessing and developing recommendations for multidisciplinary development programs at a strategic level
- Prior leadership and management experience
- Experience working with children and adults at risk, and/or knowledge and understanding of issues that affect their safety and well-being
Knowledge:
- High practical and theoretical understanding of coach and talent development demands in elite level sport (age-appropriate coaching principles, long-term player development models, talent ID and progression mapping)
- Understanding and appreciation of context and cultural differences between clubs of different sizes and philosophies
- Sound knowledge of talent identification and pathways
- Understanding and comfort in Quantitative and Qualitative assessment
About Premier League