FOOTBALL: Top qualification for Strachan coach Dan

Dan Elliott, Director of the Strachan Football Foundation based at Kilsby Lane, is celebrating passing the prestigious UEFA A Licence. One of the most respected coaching badges in football, the comprehensive qualification, taken by relatively few coaches every year, is aimed at coaches who work with professional, semi-professional or elite players. It involved attending 13 days and nights of study at the headquarters of the English FA St George’s Park Dan said: “I started the A licence in July 2015 with the target to complete by Christmas 2016 - and with hard work I did this. “The course is a real commitment and requires a lot of work in order to pass all the units and meet the standards required within practical delivery of football sessions. “It’s a rigorous application process too. There are 800 applicants each year and only 90 candidates selected. The application I put together was a strong one and I was very proud to have been accepted.” The course was led by top coaches, including coaches from the England national squads. “You have to complete 40 coaching sessions with detailed planning and evaluation of sessions, eight of which were recorded and assessed by FA Tutors Andy Poole and Craig Hinton leading up to a final assessment which was on December 6,” Dan explained. Other areas candidates were assessed on included their understanding of long term player development and working with individuals, sports psychology and fitness training. “The final assessment can only be described as a driving test where you have a certain criteria to meet from the introduction of the session , the delivery and evaluation of the session. “It is a pretty intense experience but a pressure that I enjoyed,” he said. “To be judged on the same standards that coaches within the premier league and international football have been judged on is a real challenge. “UEFA and the FA give you up to five years to complete the qualification and on average it takes two years, so to complete six months ahead of schedule is something I am very proud of as well. “The qualification allows me to coach as high as premier league as it is a pre-requisute to coaches working within professional football.” Dan’s next steps are to complete the FA Youth Module 3 and then go onto the FA Advanced Youth Award.