Sports Features

There's always talk about where the next generation of young British footballers is going to come from, but what about the coaches?

And this week, there was great excitement when former England international Stuart Pearce dropped in on a coaching session to lend them his support.  

It all goes to show just how popular football is in this country. For even though half of them hadn’t been born when he was playing (a realisation that hit me like a slap in the face with a wet football!) it didn’t stop pupils at Sandringham School in St Albans being absolutely thrilled to have Pearce, the current England U21s manager turn up to take a coaching session.

Pearce, plus two of his players, U21 goalkeepers Joe Hart (Manchester City) and Ben Alnick (Tottenham Hotspur) were taking time out from preparations for the team’s European Qualifier against Bulgaria at Stadium:MK on Friday evening, to support the St Albans City Youth Young Coaches Progamme.

Quality

This scheme, led by David Wray, the Football Development Coach at St Albans City Youth has been invaluable in training the next generation of coaches, as well as providing high quality training sessions for young footballers in both primary and secondary schools.

The programme produced 18 new Level 1 qualified coaches last year and in the last three years they've got over 100 through with a 100 per cent success rate.

"We take 6th formers out of the local senior schools, particularly the one doing sports science and we then deliver a PE lesson or an after school club at the local junior school" explained Wray.

"What we are doing is aiming towards the FA Level 1 badge which is a generic coaching badge. It gives them a lot of career skills and it's recognised throughout sport."

Future

The Sandringham pupils were joined by children from neighbouring Wheatfields Primary School who are regular participants in the sessions. And the Sandringham
6th Form coaches were joined by their counterparts from Francis Bacon, Verulam, Marlborough and Astley Cooper schools who are also in the scheme. David Wray hopes that St Albans will benefit from the scheme in the future by some of the youngsters coaching at his club.

"We're using our A'level students who are studying PE here at school" he explained.

"A number of them already coach out of school but haven't got the qualification and the important thing is, that if they are going to take the coaching to the next stage, they need to have that qualification.

"A number of them already coach in after school clubs and without their help I simply wouldn't be able to fulfil the programme that I want to after school with the students here" he continued.

"It means that I can actually cater for the number of younger students who want to be involved in football at school after school hours.

"It's also helping to make the school more of a community - the younger students can actually speak and converse with the older students which obviously happens, but not to the degree where they're all on first name terms. Also for my year 12 and 13 students it's improving their leadership skills. I've noticed that their ability to communicate not just with adults, but with children of 11, 12 and 13, has improved massively so it's benefiting the whole school."

"It's fantastic for myself and for a number of the staff here because he was one of our heroes" he said.

"I was at Euro 96 at Wembley when he tucked away the penalty against Spain and there was that outburst of emotion that I think everyone can remember. He stands for everything that's good in football as regards his commitment to the game. He played football very hard but it was always fair and the fact that he played until he was 40 years old is a good advert for the game. He's a really good ambassador."  

And while high levels of excitement at his presence still rippled throughout the school, Pearce himself explained why it was important for him to attend sessions like this.

"I think it's part of my job" he said.

"I'm one of the national coaches in England. My background is in non-League, I spent five years in non-League so I'm not one of those individuals that believes that the top of the tree in professional football was all you concentrate on.

"With any luck we might have a few of those who are good enough for the Under 21s or the senior internationals. Some of them might aspire to be professional players, some will find their own level and just play for enjoyment - whichever it is, it's our national sport."

Learn

Stuart also admitted that as he was a relatively new coach himself, he could learn from the youngsters, just as they could learn from him.

"Some of the young men and women that I spoke to today who are involved in coaching were maybe 15-16 years old" he explained.

"I think keep learning that's the main thing" he said.

"I don't think you've ever learned all the tricks, I don't think you have as a player, a coach or anyone involved in this profession. Something new will crop up each day, the game's evolving and you have to keep learning and not just from the top managers in the country - everyone's got a story to tell and something that you might pick up might make you a slightly better coach yourself."