In the next few weeks the Scottish FA South East region will be gearing up to have around 12 new interns involved within the region. Now in its third year, the programme aims to give enthusiastic coaches from local colleges and universities the chance to make a name for themselves in the coaching world.
Chris Smith, Player and Coach Development Manager for the region said “The idea with this programme is to help enthusiastic students who are considering a career in coaching. This involves getting them out on to the pitch and working with a licenced coach on a weekly basis. It means the interns are being pointed in the right direction and hopefully towards future employment.
“It’s a tough industry to make your name in and there is a lot of talent out there. What our programme provides is a chance to be mentored by licenced coaches and at the same time enhance their reputation in the region.
“Further to the weekly coaching sessions we also run six further coach education sessions on topics such as Positive Coaching Scotland, session planning & evaluation and coaching technique.”
Roughly 12 interns will eventually get involved, working with various programmes on a weekly basis. This includes positions on the 2020 & Schools of Football programmes and last year positions were opened at the Girls Academy programme in Edinburgh.
For those lucky few, they will have a unique opportunity. “We’ve had about 20 people involved with the programme since its creation and around 15 have gone on to obtain full or part time employment within coaching. Fingers crossed this year will be just as successful.”
Chris also outlined the types of candidate they are looking for, saying: “Those who are selected will show that they are enthusiastic, committed, keen to learn and good communicators. But even if someone isn’t selected, if they show an enthusiasm, they will still have the opportunity to get involved and volunteer somewhere within the region.”
For the past two years it has been open to HND (or equivalent) students only from Edinburgh College. This year Chris is looking to open it up to Napier students and potentially Edinburgh University students as well. The programme will be underway by the end of the October holidays.
Chris concluded, saying “The main thing about this project is that it’s great to see a steady stream of new coaches getting involved within the region and it’s great that these interns can gain such a positive experience.”