Building on the huge success of the Manchester United Soccer Schools (MUSS) programmes across the UK, Europe the US, Africa and Asia and the development of coaches within these projects, a two-year BTEC course has been designed which will give students the skills they need to coach young players in the UK and around the world.
The course began in September this year and will be aimed at 16-24 year olds. It will help students prepare, manage, deliver and evaluate the MUSS coaching programme for participants of all ages, nationalities and abilities.
The personal skills, as well as coaching development gained throughout the course and during the work experience, is hoped to prepare the students to apply for coaching positions at MUSS and also support their progression to further education and other employment.
The world’s most successful club-endorsed coaching programme delivers the world’s largest residential training course in the UK, and as well as operating year-round programmes out of permanent facilities in Hong Kong and China, also regularly sends teams of coaches throughout the world to deliver courses.
The MUSS coaching curriculum is based on a continuation of the training techniques of the Manchester United First Team and Academy which provide the fun and challenging coaching experiences for young players of all abilities.
The course was launched on Friday 6 December at NRC attended by Manchester United Academy Manager and legend Brian McClair, the former centre forward said: “This is going to be a great course and a fantastic opportunity for anyone lucky enough to be selected for a place. I know how important a good coach is. They can be inspirational and get the very best out of their players. This course will not only provide an opportunity for students to further their education, they will also have the platform to obtain new skills and enhance their coaching techniques and skills within practical working environments.
The first group of 17 students has already had a heady introduction to the course as they visited Old Trafford and AON Training Complex last Thursday (28th November) to meet up with Manchester United and Northern Ireland defender Jonny Evans. Commenting on the new course at Northern Regional College Jonny Evans said: “Good coaching is critical to sporting development, without it I would never have achieved my dream of playing for Manchester United and representing Northern Ireland. If you are passionate about sport and encouraging young people to give their best this course is a great opportunity to develop your own potential to become a world class coach.”
Welcoming the partnership between Northern Regional College and Manchester United Soccer Schools NRC Principal and Chief Executive Trevor Neilands said: “NRC is very proud to be in partnership with Manchester United, a name that is known the world over. This relationship adds to those we have with other world-wide brands such as Michelin and Toyota.
Most of all we are delighted that the establishment of the Manchester United Soccer School provides a unique opportunity to enhance the experience of our Sports Studies students and to introduce them to coaching and training techniques of a world standard”.
Speaking about the launch Edoardo Abis, Head of Manchester United Soccer Schools said, “We are very excited about this partnership with Northern Regional College. They have superb facilities and we know that with a combination of their expertise and the input offered by our staff, this will be a first class course. We are looking forward to seeing the students develop, and working across both our national and International courses in the future.”
