Arsenal Football Club
Early Youth Development Phase Head Coach
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The Role
We are looking for an Early Youth Development Phase Head Coach to be responsible for covering the full coaching remit, leading on an effective coaching programme for U13 players in the early youth development phase.
In this critical role, you'll be delivering and developing performance pathways and plans, and creating an optimum environment for youth players to develop and grow; with the biggest focus being on the four pillars, creating effective team players, lifelong learners, most efficient movers with a champion mentality.
Who we are
We are one of the most famous clubs in world football, with a rich heritage and history of success – read more about our history, here.
Beyond that, we are passionate about our local community and, behind the scenes, we have a wide variety of opportunities and career paths for all. We have a very defined purpose: to act for a winning team, culture and community. We achieve this by ensuring we are courageous in the pursuit of progress, we champion our community and each other, and that we do the right thing (even when no one is looking).
Our Commitment to Safeguarding
We are committed to ensuring that our environments for children, young people and adults at risk remain safe and inclusive. We therefore require successful candidates to complete a DBS check and other essential background checks prior to starting their employment. Depending on the responsibilities of the role, a DBS will be either a basic, standard, or enhanced check.
Your day-to-day
- Deliver impactful training sessions - you'll lead players to develop and coordinate all individual and team training sessions, catering for the needs of the players both individually and collectively, in order to maximise the potential of all our players in this age group
- Uphold our high standards - you will work closely with our Head of Academy Coaching to comply with Premier League, FA and EPPP rules and requirements, ensuring PMA is kept up to date
- Champion insightful feedback - you'll provide a reporting platform to give constructive feedback at the end of each term for players and you will work with the relevant phase Coaching team to implement, ensuring that player review meetings are effectively and accurately documented
- Collaborate with colleagues across our club - you will assist other coaches in the relevant youth development phase to prepare and debrief matches, and you'll work closely with colleagues across physical performance, analysis, and psychological and operational support staff
- Evolve our coaching programme - you'll eagerly seek out ways to improve the coaching programme and assist with the implementation and operation of these ideas
- Advocate for effective CPD - you will work with our Head of Academy Coaching to implement a programme of continuous professional development for the Academy team
- Support squad selection processes - you'll operate as an active member of the youth squad selection team, analysing the skills and capabilities of individual players through player progress meetings of the relevant phase
- Build bridges from Pre-Academy to Academy - you will take pride in creating a positive link with our Pre-Academy players, parents/guardians and staff, to ensure a smooth transition
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What we are looking for
- Proven track record in elite football - you come with significant experience of coaching elite football players to individual potential and team success, and you've got experience of coaching players at youth level who have progressed to play professional football in the Premier League or English Football League
- Background in academy coaching - you have demonstrable experience of working with elite academy of players of this age group, possessing proven EPPP knowledge and a history of using the PMA, and you're able to work as part of a coaching team and within the guidelines set by our Academy Manager
- Credible expertise - you proudly hold a UEFA B Licence and an FA Advanced Youth Award for Coaching, and you hold an FA Safeguarding Certificate as well as a First Aid Certification
- Impactful communicator - you pride yourself on your ability to build strong rapport with the players in the age range and you're able to communicate key technical messages in coaching sessions
- Forward-thinking approach - you have a keen awareness of how to develop players and you can set realistic goals for them and the team
- Inspiring leadership skills - you're motivated and driven with a commitment and natural passion for our game
- Best-in-class organisational skills - you've got excellent organisational and time management skills
- Proud ambassador for our club - you act as a role model at all times, embodying our Academy's values of discipline, humility and respect, as well as our wider club values
Position of Trust - As someone in a position of trust role involving regular, direct contact with children or vulnerable adults you will be expected to uphold high standards of conduct to prevent abuse, including sexual, physical, or emotional harm. This role requires you to keep updated with both Club and FA Safeguarding training and education
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Why choose us
At Arsenal, we want everyone to feel a sense of trust and belonging, so we are proud of both our club values and also what we offer to our employees. As one of our Gunners, you will receive:
- An exciting reward and recognition scheme
- Generous holiday allowance which increases with your length of service
- Great internal learning and development programmes
- Priority access to apply for match tickets
- A competitive health and wellbeing benefits package
- A leading Employee Assistance Programme
- Great discounts with some of our Partners
- An opportunity to play a vital role in delivering our ED&I strategy by joining one of our Employee Networks
Discover why ‘Our Gunners’ are proud to be part of our team - view their stories here.
Arsenal for Everyone
Arsenal for Everyone is our commitment to promoting and embracing equality, diversity and inclusion, so that everyone connected to the club feels like they belong to the same Arsenal family. We believe that diversity of background, skills and experience drives our success on and off the pitch.
Disability Confident Leader
We are a Disability Confident Leader. We actively welcome and encourage applications from people with disabilities and long-term health conditions. If you need disability-related adjustments to the recruitment process, please indicate this in your application. If you are likely to meet the definition of being a ‘disabled person’ according to the Equality Act 2010, you may be eligible to apply for an interview via the Disability Confident Scheme - please indicate this in your application form below. The information you share with us about your health or disability will not be used in recruitment decisions.
Application Closing Date - Sunday 6th September 2026
Please note: we reserve the right to close the position early if application volumes are particularly high. We encourage you to get your application in sooner rather than later. Updates on the status of your application will be sent via email, please routinely check your spam and junk folders, as occasionally emails sent via the Teamtailor platform will find themselves there.
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