Many of you who are starting out in the world of soccer ask us a very interesting question: What does it take to be a soccer coach? Do I need a degree? How much time should I spend at a grassroots level before moving on to a higher level?

Well, having these doubts is normal and very reasonable, relax! That’s why today we’re going to teach you everything you need to know to start your coaching career and most simply and practically possible. 

If you got an assignment in school to write my essay on your future profession and you’re thinking about a career as a soccer coach, then this article is for you. Below you will find all the necessary information that you can mention in your paper.

How to become a soccer coach

If you want to become a soccer coach, first of all, don’t forget that you must meet some essential requirements to become a coach. These include:

• Be 18-60 years old.
• To prove the aptitude for the practice of the sport and the general basic knowledge of sports necessary for the discipline.
• To certify the School Graduate Certificate or the Secondary Education Graduate Degree.
• Pass the training course and practical training to obtain the title of a soccer coach.

Training to become a soccer coach

If you meet the basic requirements to become a soccer coach, the next step would be to look for suitable training. It is necessary to study a medium or higher degree in soccer or to obtain one of the coaching diplomas.

You should start with Level 1 of the soccer coaching courses and if you want to aspire to higher levels or avoid territorial restrictions, go all the way up to Level 3.

Level 1 Soccer Coaching Course

455 teaching hours prepare you to become a Basic Soccer Instructor or Elementary Sports Technician. To coach youth and lower categories of any category and gender, this is the course you need.

Level 2 Soccer Coach

It consists of 565 teaching hours and allows you to become a Territorial Coach or Basic Sports Technician. If you opt for this course you will be able to coach any national team, as well as the 3rd Division and lower categories.

However, to take Level 2, you must have previously acquired Level 1 and have acquired at least one year’s experience.

Level 3 soccer coach

This course consists of 875 hours of classes that will allow you to obtain the title of National Coach or Superior Sports Technician. With this course, you will be able to coach any federated team and national teams.

As in the previous case, to access Level 3 you must have worked as a Territorial Coach or Base Sports Technician for at least one year.

Competences to be a football coach

1. Understanding soccer

Part of the success of some coaches is that they are former soccer players. Hence, they understand what a dressing room is like, how egos should be managed, and how to administer the squad. They know what it is like to step on a soccer field and feel the excitement or anguish of a game.

These are important experiences when it comes to coaching, as they will have empathy with their players (this is another quality).

Of course, this is not to say that to be a soccer coach you need to have been a professional soccer player. Mourinho is a great example. Having been an amateur or amateur player is also useful to understand soccer.

Or being passionate about the sport and having studied it. Also to have grown up under the guidance of a good soccer coach. In short, to understand the game is to know what happens on and off the field, both emotionally and conceptually.

2. Communication skills

It is of little use to have the necessary knowledge and experience if you do not know how to communicate with the staff. Communication skills are essential to convey the message you want to get across. It is also important to capture the attention of your staff and motivate them.

3. Character and personality

To gain respect, it is important that a soccer coach has the authority to impose his concepts and that the staff abides by them. This is the only way to ensure that the objective set is reflected on the field and in the results.

Moreover, in a dressing room where there are many figures, and therefore high egos, this quality is vital. It will help you pull the strings and prevent others from doing so. As a soccer coach, you are in charge of the team.

4. Emotional intelligence

More than psychology, as some authors mention, we believe it is fundamental to be able to connect emotionally with the team. It is not easy to decide who will be the starter and who will stay on the bench. Or to give rest to a sacred cow of the team. This will depend, in large part, on how you handle it so that your players understand it.

It’s also not easy to tell the team to go out and win, because everyone wants that. The key is how you do it. Johan Cruyff, for example, used the phrase “go out and enjoy yourselves”, while Guardiola said, “you are already the best, but if you win, you will be eternal”. We all know how this story ended in Barcelona and how successful the soccer coach was.

5. Preach by example

Being a soccer coach, you will have to create your own rules, methodologies, and ways of working. For example, Guardiola was a case apart. He was obsessed with players taking care of themselves, not partying, and thinking 24 hours a day about soccer.

On the other hand, Simeone is not so strict with the schedules but he is strict with the fat index of his players, he hates fat players.

But for your team to commit and listen to you, you must lead by example. You can’t ask your players to be punctual if you are late. Or you can’t ask them not to party and you go out night after night. Show that you are the first to comply and you will get them to comply too.

6. Learn from mistakes

To err is human, any soccer coach can make mistakes just as his players do. While taking a risk with a lineup can result in a bad result, the coach must be able to avoid making the same mistake. As a soccer coach, you have to be aware that one mistake, you make can frustrate the whole team’s work. That is why you have to prepare the matches in advance and not repeat previous mistakes.

7. Intuition

To be a soccer coach, you must also have a vision of the future. That is to say, to have the capacity to detect which players of the inferior categories promise. Surely you can incorporate them into your staff or avoid that he/she leaves to another club. And not only with the players of your team, but you also have to have the vision to sign in other clubs. It is also true that the big clubs have their sporting director and their network of scouts, but in the end, the coach has the last word.

8. Perseverance and demand

Perseverance and hard work are often the pre-school of successful soccer coaches. It often happens that when a coach demands a lot physically, the players, in the beginning, are somewhat reluctant. But physical fitness is essential to perform at the highest level. The same goes for tactics, which must be constantly worked on to automate them.

Moreover, you have to demand the maximum from the players. If you are too lax and let your players train at half throttle, it will be reflected in the match. The rivals will anticipate all the split balls, jumps…

Final words

The first thing a soccer coach should do is to instill famous fair play in his staff. At the end of the day, soccer is still a game, and that is why we must compete with mutual respect. Know how to win and lose, and when the referee blows the final whistle, bury the quarrels of the game with a handshake.