​Over the last two years, the Sir Stanley Matthews Foundation (SSMF) has successfully partnered with the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation to run a programme (Passion 4 Coaching) for young people to become football coaches.  The purpose of this has been to provide practical training, qualifications and employment opportunities for young people in the Tottenham area of London.  This programme has been very successful, with many young people becoming fully qualified football coaches, gaining valuable experience and finding full time employment in football.

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Due to the success of this we have now launched a full 'Coach the Coach' programme to expand this work into other areas of the U.K. and beyond, providing more young people with opportunities, not just in football but in other areas of life as well.  The aim of the programme is to provide young people with qualifications relevant to their interests, to create an effective mentorship programme based on the SSMF values, and to offer a wide variety of work experience which is interesting, exciting and inspirational. In addition, participants will have a chance to meet a wide variety of inspirational people who are interested in furthering their development, not least by offering opportunities to travel and volunteer in projects across the U.K. and overseas.

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Working in partnership with professional sports clubs, the programme is split into three levels:

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Phase 1

In Phase 1, all participants will receive the following:

• Learn the basics of football coaching and obtain an FA Level 1 qualification.

• Be taught the basics of sports coaching (which has a different emphasis than regular club coaching).

• Receive specialised training on the seven values of the SSMF (Leadership, Teamwork, Health and Nutrition, Ownership and Responsibility, Resilience, Innovation and Creativity, Education). This training will be shaped by a leading expert in their field.

• Gain 20 hours’ experience coaching at grassroots level with clubs in the local area on a voluntary basis

• Be assigned a Coach Mentor and receive regular input on their progress