Six-day coaching programme by EPL coaches

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THE British Council will be initiating the Premier Skills coaching programme at the National Sports Complex in Kuala Lumpur from Oct 19 to 24.

The six-day training programme will be conducted by coaches from the EPL.

Candidates will be selected to take part in the programme that demonstrates football can be used to support the development of social inclusion, health promotion, education and equality.

The course is designed to include practical sessions in the morning and workshops in the afternoon focusing on a range of topics from nutrition to community development.

Once completed, participants known as Premier Skills Community Coaches will return to their respective communities or schools with their new skills and knowledge to support community development through football.

Participants will also earn their Level 1 coaching qualification.

Four coaches who demonstrate exceptional commitment during the training will be invited to attend a second training course in Vietnam that will further prepare them to train and support other Premier Skills Community Coaches in their country in May 2010.

The programme is supported by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and the Education Ministry and ESPN Star Sport.

The Premier Skills training course will see EPL coaches and experts in a variety of fields working with selected community coaches and teachers from around the country with the aim of establishing sustainable football programmes for local communities.

Premier Skills is a project managed jointly by the British Council and the EPL and is being run in 15 countries around the world, including Egypt, India, Kenya, South Korea, Malawi and China.

Former EPL player Robbie Earle, assisted by Gareth Hughes, Adam Browne and Jonathan Garside, who are Community Coaches from Manchester City, Portsmouth and Everton respectively, had conducted the programme in Kerala, India, recently.

All of the coaches involved in Premier Skills are UEFA-qualified coaches.

Community coaches from every state are invited to apply to participate in this programme.

An applicant must be aged between 18 and 35; working in a school and/or community and are able to demonstrate they will be able to cascade the training they receive to others in their school and/or community; be medically and physically fit enough to undergo the course and candidates need to sign a declaration to confirm that they are fit enough to participate; be able to attend the full duration of the programme.

Participants with some experience in coaching or playing football are preferable.