Oxford Brookes helping to train the next generation of football coaches to support local community

Oxford Brookes University is helping to inspire the next generation of football coaches by offering a coaching workshop at a youth volunteering event.

The scheme is run by the  Oxfordshire FA Youth Leadership Team and will take place on Thursday 16 February at The Oxford Academy School in Littlemore, with the Sport & Coaching Sciences team at Oxford Brookes supporting the event. 

The event is aimed at 16-21 year olds who are interested in, or already working in grassroots football in Oxfordshire, with the aim of developing and supporting them on their coaching journey.

Activities will run from 9.30am until 2.30pm, with three sessions throughout the day. The sessions will consist of an ‘Introduction to Coaching Football Workshop’, a ‘Leadership Workshop’ and ‘Opportunities in Football’.

The first session will be led by Ben Franks, Lecturer in Applied Coaching Science at Oxford Brookes, who says that Oxford Brookes working with the Oxfordshire FA is a great partnership that will further develop football coaches in the county.

Ben said: “It is a privilege to be able to support the Oxfordshire FA Youth Leadership Team in delivering their youth volunteering event. 

“The Oxfordshire FA do a great deal in the community supporting coaches from a host of different backgrounds and it makes sense to support each other in furthering the development of the coaching workforce in Oxfordshire.

“Not only will the event provide a meaningful experience for 16-21 year olds aspiring to get involved in grassroots football in Oxfordshire, but also provide an opportunity for our students across the Sport & Coaching Science programmes to take part and diversify their skill sets.”

Michael Thurlow, Football Development Manager at Oxfordshire FA, said “We are delighted to partner with Oxford Brookes University to provide this opportunity to people aged 16 - 21 in the county. We would like to welcome and encourage students to attend whether they are volunteering in grassroots football already or if they are interested in getting started on their journey in 2023.”

Anyone interested in attending the event can register. Registration will close on 10 February.