Jon Gittens 1964-2019
- Peter Glynn
- 15 May 2019
Jon Gittens, FA coach educator, remembered by colleagues at the Football Association.
FA coach educator, Jon Gittens, who died on May 10 2019 aged 55, has been described as a “role model and pioneer” for his role in English coach education.
In a wide range of tributes from colleagues, the FA national coach developer has been hailed for his “huge contribution” in supporting, educating and developing coaches for well over a decade.
“Jon was a very committed person, had a passion for coach development and a passion for excellence,” said Les Howie, FA head of grassroots coaching.
“He has been heavily involved in the delivery of FA coaching courses in both the grassroots and professional game, firstly as an affiliate member of staff and, since 2012, as a full-time coach educator for the FA.
“During that time he has positively influenced thousands of coaches,” added Howie.
Leading the development of the FA’s positional specific courses and progressing to tutor on the A licence course are just two of the successes Gittens enjoyed whilst working for the governing body.
“Jon was instrumental in developing the current content of the A licence and made a huge contribution to the national coach development team and the wider game,” explained Geoff Pike, FA head of coaching awards.
“He was very focussed and knew what he wanted to get from every project he got involved in. When on a project he was fully committed to it and didn’t waver from it,” added Pike.
Before he started his coaching journey, Gittens represented Swindon, Southampton, Middlesbrough, Portsmouth, Torquay and Exeter during a 15-year professional playing career.
Playing as a central defender he scored a crucial goal to help Middlesbrough seal promotion to the Premier League in 1992.
“Jon was a highly talented footballer with great athleticism. He was physically good in the air and an excellent man-to-man marker,” explained Jamie Robinson, FA head of coach development, and Gittens’s teammate at Torquay and Exeter.
“Even though he was part of a team, he played the game as an individual. Sometimes he was unorthodox, like when trying to win the ball in front of attackers, but he was always effective.
“He believed in defending on the front-foot and being aggressive. Being an intelligent defender was a big part of Jon’s make-up and he had a real understanding of the game. All those things came through later in his coaching and coach development,” added Robinson.
It is, however, in his pioneering work as a black coach educator, inspiring the BAME community to achieve more in the game, that Gittens’s influence will be felt most strongly in the future.
“Jon led the way in being one of the very few black coaches who tutored on the A Licence course - in that sense he was a pioneer and led the way,” explained Butch Fazal, FA coach inclusion and diversity manager.
“He was a role model to a number of coaches and his footprint and legacy will be the number of coaches that he inspired to go forward in the game. We all stand on the shoulders of giants and he was one of those.”
Happy to share his experiences and challenges of both playing and coaching, Fazal believes Gittens will be remembered as a man with strong values who had time for all in his company.
“When we talk about uniting a nation and inspiring the next generation of coaches, I think Jon lived and breathed that. If you were coach educated by Jon Gittens it was an experience you remembered.
“He always had time for people. If you stopped him he would always give you five minutes, even if he was shooting off somewhere – that’s the measure of the man.
“Jon knew he carried a community with him in his coach education work - he was consciously aware of that. For those coaches and coach educators coming behind him we were able to look further because we stood on his shoulders and could learn from his experience.
“At 55 it is no age to have lost him. He had so much more to give,” added Fazal.
All at the Football Association fondly remember him.
Jon Gittens football player, coach and coach educator born 22 January 1964, died 10 May 2019.
