Job description:

Salary: £30,000 per annum

Contract: 23-month fixed term

Hours: 37.5 per week

Premier League Coach Development Programme:  The successful candidate will divide their time between their Crystal Palace employment and their individual development plan which includes enrolment to the Premier League’s Coach Development Programme

Location: Crystal Palace Academy, Copers Cope Road, Beckenham BR3 1NZ

 

Who we are:

 

We are Crystal Palace Football Club, a Premier League Football Club with more than 160 years of proud history.

 

We strive for excellence in the workplace with a philosophy of high standards, professionalism, and a strong work ethic from our employees. We are constantly trying to grow, diversify and build with not only our team on the pitch, but also our team in the offices and on the ground.

 

The Academy is the pride of Crystal Palace Football Club, producing graduates throughout the years such as Kenny Sansom, Steve Kember, Vince Hilaire, Victor Moses, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Wilfried Zaha and David Ozoh.

 

Our commitment to Equality:

 

At Crystal Palace Football Club, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion is spirited and continues to grow due to the working environment, which makes all staff feel appreciated and welcomed. Crystal Palace Football Club do this by encouraging good relations and practices towards different groups and are committed to promoting employment opportunities that celebrate diversity.

 

We are committed to attracting, recruiting, and retaining the most talented candidates and the club intends to ensure that everyone who wishes to engage with the club, whether as matchday fans, staff, players, board members, participants in Foundation programmes and any other person engaged with the club's activities, has a real and equal opportunity to do so.

 

Introduction:

 

Crystal Palace Academy, in partnership with the Premier League, Professional Footballers Association (PFA), and English Football League (EFL) 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 Professional Player to Coach Scheme by providing a high-quality fixed-term employment opportunity to develop under-represented groups within the football industry. The scheme is open to PFA members who are currently under-represented within English professional football coaching workforce. Men and Women coaches from Black, South-Asian and Mixed Heritage backgrounds. We believe that having greater diversity helps the whole club to perform better both on and off the pitch.

 

Overview and Objectives of the Scheme:

 

PPCS provides a 23-month fixed-term employment opportunity and development programme for the successful candidate. The club will act as the ‘base’ of employment and the individual will work across a variety of football functions within the club to broaden their learning experience.

 

The fixed-term employment opportunity will include coaching and observation across the Academy, and collaboration with multi-disciplinary teams. Successful applicants will enter the Premier League’s Coach Development Programme which is accredited by Leeds Beckett University. Upon successful completion of the programme, coaches will receive a Diploma in Professional Football Coaching. The development programme includes mentoring, workshops, peer learning, projects, and need-led access to FA/UEFA coaching qualifications.

 

The PPCS aims to:

 

• To increase the number of former professional players from Black, South-Asian and Mixed Heritage backgrounds in full-time coaching positions in English professional football
• To provide coaches on the scheme with a fixed-term employment contract and development opportunities within a Premier League or EFL clubs
• To substantially improve long-term 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 assist in diversifying the workforce at Premier League and EFL clubs, promoting a culture of equality, diversity and inclusion

 

The role:

 

The successful candidate will work within our Youth Development (U13 – U16) and Professional Development Phase (U17 – U21) age groups. The core responsibilities of the role will be:

 

• Work with the Lead and Assistant Coaches across both phases in developing both individuals and the team
• Devise and deliver technical and tactical training sessions in line with the CPFC playing philosophy and player needs
• Set, monitor and develop high quality professional standard and team ethic for the players
• Assist the Lead Coach in the Player/Parent review process
• Implement individual learning plans to support the development of elite individuals
• Work in collaboration with all Academy staff, in particular the relevant multi-disciplinary team, including weekly meetings and the establishment of plans for training and games
• Support the annual review of the ‘game model’ content
• Work in conjunction with the Analysis department to deliver individual analysis sessions to Players
• Take part in and complete all Academy CPD

 

Person Specification
 

Experience:

Essential

• PFA member
• Coaches must not have previous experience of holding a full-time coaching role in a Premier League or EFL Club

Desirable

• Experience of coaching a team or group of Players in 11v11 football
• Experience of holistic youth development activities within, or beyond sport
• Experience of developing the skills and techniques of individual Players

 

Qualifications:

Essential

• UEFA B Licence
• Current FA Safeguarding Certificate (Prior to commencing role)
• Enhanced DBS Clearance (Prior to commencing role)
• Emergency First Aid Certificate (Prior to commencing role)

Desirable

• UEFA A Licence

 

Person Specification:

• Drive to become a football coach in English professional football and to help individual players, and teams, to successfully develop and perform
• Passion to create developmentally appropriate learning environments for players
  • Commitment to fulfilling duty of care for children, young people, and adults in healthy, high performing environment
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, and relationship building expertise.
  • Resilience for the everyday rigours of high-performance football environments
  • High potential to be a world-class football coach and visible role model.

 

 

Applications are welcome from PFA members who are Men and Women coaches from Black, South-Asian and Mixed Heritage backgrounds. Reasonable adjustments will be made for any applicant with a disability, and these should be requested directly to DLO@cpfc.co.uk

 

Crystal Palace believe in equal opportunities and all applications will be assessed on merit only. 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.

 

How to apply:

 

To apply please click the below link. Your application must contain a CV and Covering Letter which demonstrates:

 

• That you meet the eligibility criteria for the role;
• Your ambitions for the role; and
• How this role fits into your longer term career plan

 

If you are selected for interview there will be a two-stage process which will take place week commencing 13th and 20th May with 1st July 2024 as the ideal start date