What makes a good football coach? And how are they made? Might the same be true for cricket coaches?

I read a thought-provoking article from Alan McKay of the Centre for Football Research in Wales at the University of South Wales on “What makes a good football coach ?.

Various factors were identified, specifically around coaching behaviours and connections with players.

The author’s starting point was, in fact, not coaching, but coach education, and a project with the UEFA Academy — What does a world-class coach educator look like?’
Exploring effective coach education within a European context.

And it got me thinking about what the new Coach Development team at the ECB might want to put in place.

What makes a good coach?

McKay’s article gave an interesting definition of “effective coaching” at the top level, somewhat removed from the traditional view of the coach as the provider of technical development, tactical insight & motivation.

“…effective coaching is about performance…not just on the pitch, but in the way coaches manage themselves, their staff and their players.”

“Performance” is defined here as much by how the coach “performs” in the coaching environment.

“A good coach must balance their responsibilities with time for rest and recovery. They must communicate clearly, stay calm under pressure and create an environment where everyone knows their role.”

And hence the role of coach education evolves beyond teaching coaches to apply the technical/tactical, physical, psychological, social “4 Corners” model to helping the coach develop appropriate behaviours.

All of this is in the context of UEFA’s level 4 (“Advanced licence”) and level 5 (“Professional licence”) coach education programmes.

But, if we are really to believe the aspirations “to develop world class coaches for beginners”, surely we need to give early-stage coaches something more than a website of drills and a stack of cones?

Developments in ECB Coach Development

The ECB has been without a full-time Head of Coach Development for some time, now. This should be a senior position within the ECB, responsible for the development of all coaches, across all levels of the game from grassroots to Test, and, by extension, the development of all players in England.

The post was advertised in the autumn of 2023, and again in the autumn of 2024, but, in the absence of any announcements from the ECB, it would appear that the post remains unfilled in July 2025 (or has been filled, again, by an interim appointment).

Other positions in Coach Development have been advertised, but, in the absence of a Head of Coach Dev, or of a published Coach Development Strategy, it is unclear quite what they will be working to achieve.

For the Coach Development Targeted Programmes Manager, the role is elaborated a little — it references the new strategy (which presumably, therefore, does exist, somewhere) that “…places significantly more emphasis on targeted programmes, continuous professional development and bespoke learning and development programmes…The programmes will focus on certain coaching groups (e.g., female coaches in the professional game, player to coach cohorts and leadership programmes).” Fast-tracking ex-players into senior coaching positions?

There is (was?) to be a new Learning Development Manager, but from the job specification this position looks to be concerned with coach learning rather than a fundamental re-consideration of how children and players learn i.e. the how & why of coaching.

Hence there will be more emphasis on creating coaches who comply with “best practice” (as defined by who?), and less (none?) on creating better coaches (better coaches for the children & players they work with), perhaps.

What could we hope for from early-stage coach education?

Compare the descriptions of 2 entry level coach education courses, the UEFA C diploma for grassroots coaches, and the ECB Foundation Coach, “…an entry level qualification for coaching cricket in England and Wales.”

• Creating an opportunity to play football for grassroots players of different ages, genders, backgrounds and abilities: children, teenagers, adults, veterans, disabled people and other amateur target groups.
• Inspiring a lifelong desire to play football and stay involved in football.

UEFA C

“The programme has been designed to develop your knowledge, skills and confidence to use icoachcricket to coach safe, fun and inclusive sessions that ignite a lifelong love of the game.”

ECB Foundation

One is all about the players. The other about using a web platform.

Is anyone in the ECB Coach Development team tasked with looking at the craft of actually coaching?