FAI have a clear pathway for all coaches to follow as they move up the coaching ladder
In attendance, from left, FAI board member and chair of the international and high performance committee Packie Bonner, UEFA technical advisor Frank Ludolph, Federación Mexicana de Fútbol content manager Carlos Lopes, UEFA international relations Edith Finn and FAI head of education and development Niall O'Regan during a FAI Coaching Education visit from CONCACAF & UEFA at The Johnstown Estate in Enfield, Meath. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile
The FAI have updated their coaching pathway at all levels after their Head of Education and Development Niall O’Regan recently returned from Brazil, where he was working for a two-week period with the FIFA Technical Leadership Diploma group.
O'Regan is the FAI head of education and development and his job is to ensure all coaching courses are the best in practice and hence, the recent update to the coaching pathway in this country.
The mandatory qualifications you need to coach any level of soccer in Ireland are Garda Vetting, a Safeguarding course and the child welfare course.
Once these are completed, you then are required to complete an age and stage appropriate entry level course.
There are a number of these: Me and My Ball for coaching 5-7 year olds, Me and My Skills for coaching 8-11 year olds, Me and My Team Mates coaching 12-14 year olds, Me and My Position coaching 15-17 year olds and Me and My Club, coaching adult amateur players.
“It is mandatory to have the Garda Vetting, Safeguarding and Child Welfare courses as part of the club mark programme, which is now mandatory by year end 2025.
"This will require everyone to have an entry level qualification from the Me and My courses,” Niall said.
“To progress your formal coach development qualifications, once you have completed two of the Me and My Ball courses, and put the learning into practice from these courses, you are then eligible to develop expertise around the age of the player you coach.
"You are able to do workshops, modules and courses, online and in-person to develop your knowledge and skills around these age and stage appropriate courses.
"Courses here range from Football For All, Goalkeeping, Fitness, Ball Mastery, Individual Development and many more.
“To progress to the next formal course level, you can complete the FAI Grassroots Course, this course is an important milestone in the coaching pathway where the coach demonstrates the ability to manage a grassroots coaching programme.
"Following this course you then enter the realm of UEFA coaching qualifications with the UEFA Grassroots and then onto the pinnacle of grassroots qualifications, the UEFA C Licence."
However, if a coach wants to move further up the coaching ladder to further coaching qualifications Niall explains how and the pathway you need to take if you want to coach in the League of Ireland and in Europe for example.
“After this you are then into the professional coaching courses, from UEFA B, UEFA A and then onto the highest coaching licence in world football the UEFA Pro Licence.
"We currently have 136 coaches qualified through the FAI with the UEFA Pro Licence.
"In addition to this there are specialist courses for youth development, elite youth development at UEFA, the Elite Youth A, Goalkeeping, FUTSAL and Football Fitness courses.
“It is important to make sure to put your learning into practice and develop your coaching skills throughout this process through active reflection and participation.
"At the higher licence levels there is mandatory timelines.
"For example, from UEFA C to UEFA B, you would be required to complete a minimum of six months practical experience.
"From B upwards, it is a mandatory timeline of 12 months at the respective required level to be eligible to progress to the next course level.
“The entry level courses cost €45 and workshops range from €25 to €50 and for conference style events, these vary depending on the number of days of the event.
"UEFA courses vary depending on the delivery style, residential, non-residential etc.
"The UEFA Licence courses run for between 12 and 18 months and would see contact blocks for two or three days every few months, at UEFA B, the course range in around the two thousand euro mark, while the UEFA A course it is in around three thousand euro.
"The UEFA Pro Licence ranges in around nine thousand euro for the 24 month course.
“There are opportunities to apply for grants from UEFA for the women’s game as we have a targeted approach to ensuring we increase the number of women’s coaches qualified in the game.
"We also do a number of club development or league development programmes which allows for grants and courses to be discounted.
"This has happened at grassroots and LOI levels.
“The FAI Grassroots, UEFA Grassroots and the UEFA C would see coaches working across different levels of the grassroots game which are playing 11-aside football.
"Other courses are the UEFA Pro Licence for adult professional LOI Men’s Premier Division as a Manager/Head Coach.
"The UEFA A Licence – Adult Professional LOI Men’s Premier Division as a coach and the WNL as a Manager/Head Coach.
"The UEFA B Licence – Players in the LOI academy system from U14/15 upwards in the boys and girls.
"The UEFA Youth B Licence – coaching boys and girls 13 – 16 years old and the UEFA Elite Youth A course allows coaches to coach academy boys and girls between 17 and 23 years old,” O’Regan added.
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