Lead Foundation Phase Coach

JOB TITLE Lead Foundation Phase Coach

DEPARTMENT Academy

RESPONSIBLE TO Head of Coaching (Direct)

DIRECT REPORTS Foundation Phase Coaches

SALARY Competitive

CONTRACT Full-time, 40 hours a week

WORK FLEXIBILITY The position will involve working irregular hours; evenings, weekends and bank holidays)

Purpose of Role

To be responsible for the strategic and day-to-day leadership of coaching, player development and coach support across the Foundation Phase (U9-U12). The role combines hands-on coaching with phase-wide leadership, ensuring a consistent, high-quality and age-appropriate programme that aligns with the club’s playing philosophy and long-term player development plan.

This phase plays a key part developing the player’s fundamentals to succeed later in their Academy journey.

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

Coaching

• Plan, deliver and evaluate high-quality training sessions that align with the Academy’s game principles and player development philosophy to age groups across the FP.
• Act as the lead coach for a designated FP age group, taking responsibility for matchday coaching, team selection and in-game management.
• Ensure coaches within the FP are delivering sessions that align with the Academy’s game principles and player development philosophy.
• Ensure all coaching content reflects current best practice in long-term player and athletic development.

  Operations & Logistics

• Coordinate the weekly and seasonal training, fixture and tournament schedule for the FP, liaising with the operations department.
• Coordinate 6-weekly reviews for FP players and parents/guardians and player progress meetings with YDP coaches and the wider multidisciplinary team.
• Ensure appropriate staffing ratios for all training sessions and matches in the FP.

  Coach Mentoring & Support

• Line manage, mentor and support the ongoing development of FP coaches, including regular 1:1s, observations and feedback.
• Design and deliver internal CPD sessions and workshops to upskill coaching staff.
• Work with the Head of Coaching to support coaches in their qualification pathway (e.g. UEFA coaching badges) and identify development opportunities.
• Foster a collaborative, reflective coaching culture, encouraging peer observation and shared best practice across the phase.
• Conduct performance with reviews and contribute to the recruitment of new coaching staff within the FP.

  Player Development

• Take overall responsibility for planning and implementation of players’ Individual Development Plans (IDPs) across the FP, ensuring consistency of approach across all coaches within the FP.
• Work closely with Pre-Academy and Youth Development Phase leads to ensure a coherent and aligned approach to player pathway and development.
• Lead player review meetings with parents/guardians and players, communicating progress, targets, action points and how we will support.
• Collaborate regularly with the wider multidisciplinary team to support the holistic development of each player.
• Monitor and report on player progress against club and phase benchmarks, delivering this information in succession planning and player progress meetings.
• Collaborate with the Head of Recruitment on talent identification and player recruitment/retention decisions within the FP.