Colts is a volunteer-run, not for profit organisation providing football activity to around a quarter of all children in Harpenden. We could not do this without an army of willing volunteers giving up hundreds of volunteer hours per week. At the last count we had over 400 volunteer coaches, squad leads, year group leads, admins, welfare officers and numerous club office holders. And the Club is growing all the time. We are always on the lookout for volunteers for coaching and non-coaching roles.
Our biggest cohort of volunteers are our coaches and squad leads. To coach at Colts is to be part of a supportive team within your squad, your year group and the Club as a whole.
Each squad has a lead and 2-4 additional coaches – all parent/carer volunteers. As an FA 3-Star Accredited club, we take the suitability and qualification of our coaches very seriously. As a minimum, each must have an FA-approved DBS check and take First Aid and Safeguarding training. Our squad leads must have the FA Introduction to Coaching Football (or equivalent) qualification.
Chris Gregory (former Club Training Officer now Club Chair), together with George Lappas, a professional coach and the Club’s Head of Football Development, have devised a coaching curriculum for our youngest year groups. George also provides presentations, briefings, updates and in-person tutorials with the aim of upskilling our coaches to deliver better and better training sessions.
As part of the Club’s philosophy, we are committed to providing coaches and volunteers with appropriate training and CPD. We actively encourage completion of FA Playmaker, other relevant online and face-to-face courses and pay for Introduction to Coaching Football (Level 1) courses which form the core of the FA’s coaching pathway.
Further details about the FA courses and pathways can be found here:
Forms and policies relating to coaches and volunteers
