Arsenal Football Club
U21 Head Coach
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The Role
We are looking for an U21 Head Coach to lead an effective and successful coaching programme for our Academy’s U21 squad, delivering and developing performance pathways and plans, and creating an optimum environment for Professional Development Phase players to develop and grow, with the biggest focus being on the four pillars of our Academy: creating effective team players, lifelong learners, most efficient movers, and a champion mentality.
You'll be entrusted to promote exercise compliance, safe training practices and the benefits of sport and fitness to Professional Development Phase players.
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 engaging training sessions - you'll take pride in developing and coordinating 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
- Prioritise player development - you will ensure each and every U21 player's potential is realised and maximised, through effective mentorship, training and holistic development that draws on the multidisciplinary Academy structure
- Strive for consistent high performance - you'll relish the opportunity to effectively lead U21 squad sessions and games with the ultimate aim of achieving team sporting success and individual high performance
- Collaborate with our Men's First Team set up - you will proactively connect with the senior Coaching infrastructure and Loans Management staff to ensure seamless communication and an active pipeline from our Academy to our Men's First Team
- Partner with our Head of Academy Coaching - you'll work closely with our Head of Academy Coaching to comply with Premier League, FA and EPPP rules and requirements, ensuring that PMA is kept up to date and you'll support them with the provision of a CPD programme for our Academy Coaches
- Champion effective feedback - you will strive to offer accurate and effectively documented individual player progress and review meetings, to analyse the skills and capabilities of individual players, and you'll provide a reporting platform to give constructive feedback at the end of each term, working with the relevant phase coaching team to implement
- Unite with colleagues across our club - you'll team up with colleagues across our Performance, Analysis, Psychology and Operations teams to facilitate and lead a multidisciplinary team approach to player development
- Own the coaching curriculum - you will passionately create and implement a comprehensive high performance coaching curriculum for the Professional Development Phase, alongside our Head of Academy Coaching
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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 for and with an 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 A Licence and an FA Advanced Youth Award for Coaching (17-21), 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 and you thrive when you're leading from the front
- 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
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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 12th July 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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