Coach education in Czech Republic

The FA sent eleven representatives out to Prague at the start of this month as part of the UEFA-led Study Visit Scheme.

The programme was put together by Antonin Plachy, the Coach Education Licence Co-ordinator from the Czech FA, who gave a detailed insight into the workings of their coaching provision.

He identified the significant differences in the entry procedures and selection criteria for their coaching programmes compared to the open entry on to The FA courses in England.

There is an entrance examination at all levels that includes a written examination, a practical test of special skills and a language examination in the official UEFA languages of German or English.

There is a particular emphasis on Sports Science Courses within the curriculum, with 236 hours devoted to biomedical aspects of sports training for children and youth players. Supplementary to this was a further 72 hours directed at Management, Media Skills, Legal Issues and the Use of Modern Technology.

The practical and theoretical aspects of Football Specialisation account for a further 434 hours. Examinations are set at the end of each stage of the training process and failure to meet the standards results in participation on the course being terminated. The candidate coach is only permitted to retake these examinations on two further occasions and, if they are still not successful, they are excluded from further participation.

The continued participation of our Coaching Workforce in UEFA and worldwide coach education research can only lead to further exciting developments in good practice that will be of tremendous benefit to The FA Coaching Framework in the future.