Early Youth Development Phase Head Coach

Arsenal Football Club; Greater London; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Arsenal Football Club is seeking an Early Youth Development Phase Head Coach to lead the coaching remit for U13 players, delivering and developing performance pathways and plans to create an optimal development environment.

The role emphasises four pillars: turning players into lifelong learners, effective team players, efficient movers, and champions, while aligning with PMA, safeguarding, and development standards.

Qualifications

• Proven track record in elite football coaching youth players.
• Experience coaching academy players and PMA/EPPP guidelines.

Responsibilities

• Deliver impactful training sessions for U13 players.
• Uphold Premier League/FA/EPPP standards and PMA compliance.
• Provide constructive feedback and document player reviews.
• Collaborate with coaching and performance staff across the club.
• Evolve coaching programmes and CPD for the Academy team.
• Support squad selection with player progress meetings.
• Facilitate transition from Pre-Academy to Academy.

Skills

Elite football coaching

Youth development

Coaching coordination

Effective communication

Education

UEFA B Licence

FA Advanced Youth Award for Coaching

FA Safeguarding Certificate

First Aid Certification

Job description

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

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

Why choose us

• 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 the 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.

Good luck!