UEFA ELITE YOUTH A LICENCE

COURSE OUTLINE

A UEFA Elite Youth A Licence holder must have a clear understanding of coaching, player and
team development and must demonstrate competence in the following four areas.

THE DEVELOPMENT COACH

• Working as the head coach with elite youth teams
• Working with elite youth players to prepare them for professional football
• Working closely with coaching staff and support staff, including the academy director
• Being involved in a club’s talent development plan
• Working with players from different cultural backgrounds, of different ages and experience
• Dealing with all other factors affecting the team’s performance: media, parents, players’ agents, fans, scouts, sports ethics
• Understanding and planning a development player pathway (especially in the 17-23 age range) where opportunities to get  into first team football might be limited

THE PLAYER & TEAM

• Preparing talented players individually and the team as a whole for the demands of the professional game and according to the club’s talent development plan
• Involving the players in the learning process and enabling them to take self-responsibility
• Managing all aspects of the team’s performance
• Creating a winning mentality and a high-performance culture

THE TRAINING ENVIRONMENT

• Improving and focusing on individual and team training sessions
• Understanding all aspects of high-performance training
• Working with the individual players and the team as a whole and understanding how training session design can affect performance
• Designing game-oriented training sessions (opponent, pressure, intensity)
• Preparing, conducting and reviewing training sessions in accordance with the club’s coaching philosophy

THE MATCH

• Preparing for and coaching a team during the matches at elite youth level
• Using the game to develop each player and the team, but also to create a winning team mentality
• Preparing the match plan in accordance with the club’s playing philosophy, taking the opponent team into account
• Analysing the matches as an evaluation and learning tool for individual players and the team as a whole

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

The UEFA Elite Youth A Licence will build on the competencies gained by the coach through the completion of the UEFA Youth B Licence or UEFA A Licence, with all coaching practice, assignments and assessments based on the 11 v 11 game.

Entrance to the UEFA Elite Youth A Licence course will therefore require completion of the following:

• Children’s Wellbeing in Scottish Football (e-learning)
• Mental Health in Scottish Football (e-learning)
• UEFA Youth B Licence or UEFA A Licence

Notes:

No other qualifications will be accepted as a prerequisite for the UEFA Elite Youth A Licence course. Every successful applicant will:

• Hold a valid UEFA Youth B Licence and have completed at least one year’s experience, after graduating with the UEFA Youth B licence; or
• Hold a valid UEFA A Licence; and
• Have completed the Scottish FA e-learning courses listed above

You can also be admitted to the UEFA Elite Youth A Licence if you are currently a UEFA A Licence course participant with the Scottish FA. To avail of this opportunity, candidates must:

• hold a valid UEFA B licence and currently be actively participating in a Scottish FA / UEFA A
  Licence course; and
• have completed the Scottish FA Children’s Wellbeing in Scottish Football (e-learning) and
  Scottish FA Mental Health in Scottish Football (e-learning) in the last three years

In addition to the above, candidates whose UEFA Youth B Licence or UEFA A Licence was achieved through another National Association must include the following documents:

• Evidence of valid certification (as well as evidence of appropriate CPD accreditation, if applicable)
• Coaching & Playing / Football CV
• Letter of support (normally from the club/ team that will be worked with for the duration of the course)
• Letter outlining why you wish to undertake the UEFA Elite Youth A Licence with the Scottish FA
• UEFA Cross Border forms will only be required if your application has been successful. This
  will be requested separately

In all of the cases outlined above it is expected that prior to application, each applicant has a Scottish FA Live account and has successfully completed both the Children’s Wellbeing in Scottish Football (e-learning) and Mental Health in Scottish Football (e-learning) courses within the past three years.

BLENDED LEARNING

Phase 1 - Online Theoretical Modules - Virtual Classrooms

• 5 day’s duration when the main theoretical components of the course will be delivered
• At least 3 course tutorials (comprising of approx. 3 hours in duration each)

SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING: ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION

• Tasks and Assignments to be completed as part of the course curriculum
• Some of these assignments will include the need for you to video record your own sessions at your own club.  Applicants should therefore ensure that they have the wherewithal at their club to submit recorded sessions

Phase 2 - Study Visit & Coaching Practice

Study Visit

The course cohort will attend Benfica Campus and stay in and around Lisbon, Portugal, immersing themselves in the culture and playing methodology of SL Benfica and how they develop their elite youth footballers. This component of the UEFA Elite Youth A Licence is part-funded with shared accommodation, ground transport and most meals included. Flights to/ from Lisbon are also included, as long as you travel with the main group in/ out of Scotland.

In Person Practical Coaching Practice

4 day’s duration to participate in teaching and coaching practice. All course participants must be available to attend all scheduled dates.

Phase 3 - Practical Online Assessment

To heighten the application of reality based learning and implementation, each course candidate will be expected to submit training sessions for assessment.

Successful candidates must ensure that video submissions are of an appropriate standard.  Candidates will be provided with filming guidelines that will highlight best practice and provide further information on how to capture footage that is of the required standard, as well as how to record audio.

• Course cost is inclusive of tuition fees, lunch and Scottish FA adidas kit
• Cost does not include accommodation whilst in Scotland

View course availability on the Scottish FA Coaching Course finder.