About the job
Contract: 23 – month placement
Time commitment: The successful candidate will divide their time between the Crystal Palace Football Club work placement and their individual development plan on a 50:50 basis, which equates to two and a half days a week for each (five days per week in total)
Key relationships: Crystal Palace Football Club and the Premier League
Location: Crystal Palace Football Club – Copers Cope Road, Beckenham Kent
1. Background
Professional football must better reflect modern Britain. Crystal Palace Football Club in partnership with the Premier League, are seeking to improve the diversity of football coaches in the professional game to make this area more representative of society and the playing population. As part of our commitment to improving diversity, we are proud to be able to support the Coach Inclusion and Diversity Scheme, Season 2021/2022, by providing a high-quality personal development work placement that supports under-represented groups within the football industry. The Scheme is open to coaches who are currently under-represented within English Professional Football – these identified groups being individuals from Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage backgrounds, including Women from all backgrounds.
We believe that having greater diversity helps the whole Club to perform better both on and off the pitch. We are therefore actively encouraging coaches from under-represented groups to embrace the opportunity to aspire to coach in the professional game, so that football at all levels better represents the wider communities in which it is played, enjoyed and serves.
2. What is the Coach Inclusion and Diversity Scheme?
The Coach Inclusion and Diversity Scheme is a positive action initiative, informed by provisions established in the Equality Act 2010, to support the strategic aim of building and normalising an inclusive and diverse professional coaching workforce.
Crystal Palace Football Club in partnership with the Premier League, aim to identify a high potential coach to undergo a work experience and development opportunity, so that after the Scheme, they become highly employable within the professional game. Simultaneously, the Premier League want to be able to recognise and support Clubs involved in the Scheme as Inclusion and Diversity role models.
The Coach Inclusion and Diversity Scheme will provide a 23-month rotational work experience and development programme for the successful candidate. The Club will act as the ‘base’ of the placement programme and the individual will work across a variety of football functions within the Club in order to broaden their learning experience.
The Coach will divide their time between the work placement and their individual development plan on a 50:50 basis which equates to two and a half days a week for each. The placement will include coaching and observation across the Foundation (FP), Youth Development (YDP) and Professional Development Phases (PDP) as well as the First-Team environment, Physical Performance and Conditioning, Recruitment, Analysis, and Administration.
Coaches will also enter the Premier League’s Coach Development Institute Programme (CDIP). This programme will include mentoring, workshops, peer learning, projects and FA/UEFA qualifications dependent on need.
The programme will be a fully integrated and intensive opportunity based at Crystal Palace Football Club designed to accelerate the successful candidates’ coaching knowledge and ability in order to better equip them for future full-time coaching work.
The candidate invited onto the Scheme, following a successful selection process, will be expected to demonstrate drive and resilience in order to reach a high standard across a range of skills and competencies tailored to the needs of the individual.
3. Objectives of the Scheme
· To increase the number of coaches who are from Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage backgrounds, including women from all backgrounds in full-time coaching positions in English Professional Football
· To provide coaches on the Scheme with a work placement and training opportunities within a Premier League or Category One Club
· To substantially improve employment prospects for coaches who complete the Scheme
· To provide each of the coaches with their own development programme to ensure that they are appropriately supported to become successful coaches and visible role models
· To help Premier League and Category One Clubs to become more Inclusive and Diverse
4. Person Specification
Background
• Coaches who are currently under-represented within the English professional game – individuals from Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage backgrounds, including women from all backgrounds
• This is a positive action scheme aimed at addressing under-represented groups in football coaching. Applications will only be accepted from individuals who identify as being from those backgrounds
Experience
Essential
· No previous experience of full-time coaching in a Premier League or English Football League Club
Desirable
· Experience of coaching a team or group of players on a regular basis
Qualifications
Essential
- UEFA B Licence
- Current FA Safeguarding Certificate
- Enhanced DBS Clearance
- Emergency Aid Certificate
Desirable
· UEFA A Licence
Other specifications
· The Scheme is looking for candidates with high potential to be role models and world-class football coaches
· Candidates should be able to demonstrate the appropriate skills required for a football coach working in a Multi-Disciplinary Team
· Candidates should be able to demonstrate high-level interpersonal skills, where they can communicate effectively and appropriately with a wide range of individuals and groups of people
· Candidates should be able to demonstrate the resilience required to be able to succeed in challenging high-performance football environments
· Candidates should be able to demonstrate a high motivation to become a football coach in English Professional Football and to help other footballers and teams to successfully develop and perform
· The Scheme is interested in candidates who have an aspiration to work at any age group (Foundation Phase, Youth Development Phase, Professional Development Phase and/or First Team)
5. How To Apply
The Coach Inclusion and Diversity Scheme placement opportunity welcomes applications from coaches who are from Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage backgrounds – including women from all backgrounds. Reasonable adjustments will be made for any applicant with a disability and these should be requested directly to recruitment@cpfc.co.uk.
Crystal Palace Football Club believe in equal opportunities and all applications will be assessed on merit only. Crystal Palace Football Club will be using a blind-shortlisting process to identify candidates who will be invited to interview. All personal data that the applicant shares on the equality monitoring form will be submitted separately and not form any part of the application process. This information is collected simply to see if our advert is reaching a wide and diverse range of applicants who are applying for this role. The successful candidate will be selected based on merit as measured against the person specification, set out above.
To apply, please submit an application following these guidelines. Applications can be typed, recorded or written (example: video or audio).
Crystal Palace Football Club will only consider applications from Coaches who are from Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage backgrounds, including women from all backgrounds.
1. Please confirm that you match each of the criteria for the application using a brief application letter and CV
2. Include a reference(s) from a coach developer(s) and/or coach(es) describing your football coaching potential. This could be typed, recorded or written
3. Include answers to the following questions (no more than 500 words per answer):
i. Please explain why you would like to join this initiative and what you want to achieve during the work experience.
ii. What is it that appeals to you about being a full-time football coach? Please provide evidence to demonstrate your desire to be a full-time coach if you successfully complete this initiative.
iii. If you were successful in becoming a full-time coach after the work experience, what would you personally want to do to progress equality, inclusion, diversity and coaching in English professional football?
iv. Please explain where you see yourself in five and ten years and why
If you would like to be contacted regarding other development opportunities, please let us know in your application.
6. Deadline For Applications
Please submit your application by July 12th, 2021
Please email your application and any queries to recruitment@cpfc.co.uk.
Please email if you require any assistance in applying. We would support applications in other formats (for example by video or audio) if required.
By submitting your application, you are agreeing to Crystal Palace Football Club and the Premier League processing your personal details for the purpose of administering and evaluating the Scheme in accordance with Crystal Palace Football Club and the Premier League’s privacy notices[1].
Lastly, as part of our recruitment process and our commitment to equality and diversity, please can you fill out our equal opportunities monitoring form via this link: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/LMNK9LZ. All of your responses will remain anonymous.
