GUERNSEY teenager William Woodford is believed to be the youngest Channel Islander to obtain the FA’s level two coaching badge. ‘I’m quite proud of myself and it’s a good title to have unofficially,’ he said.
His long-term ambition is to coach a football academy in the UK, but in the meantime he is content to continue coaching juniors before progressing and getting more badges.
The 18-year-old insurance broker had to travel to Jersey for a week to complete the course and assessment under the tutorship of an FA assessor and Jersey football development officer Brian Oliver.
‘There was not one on in Guernsey at the time and the Guernsey Football Association subsidised a lot of it - I decided to do it over there to get it done and dusted and I got decent feedback,’ he said.
‘I was proud and pleased I got through it.’
He recalls being a guinea pig for a few other coaches taking their level two badges in Guernsey who did not pass.
‘I like the idea of passing on knowledge and I wanted to give something back to the game,’ he said.
After coaching North-erners minis since he was 15, he has now taken on the role as the club’s Youth Two coach with friend Mark Ingrouille.
In a strange way, he is actually now more qualified than North Priaulx coach Micky Le Prevost and probably most other coaches of the island’s first team sides.
But he has no intention of interfering in any way with the current set-up.
‘It’s a bit weird because he [Le Prevost] has done a great job with the Priaulx,’ said Woodford.
‘Qualifications are not everything but it’s good to learn new things. If anyone wants to ask what I think I will always be willing to give my opinion.’
He passed his level one coaching badge in February and started the level two course in May.
‘It’s a massive step up from level two,’ he said.
The intensive course included a 90-minute training session for coaches and other helpers.
‘You start off with a technique and take it to a skill and then to a game situation,’ he explained.
‘The coaching is quite practical and you go quite in depth. The home study was the most demanding and you have to compile a portfolio of written tasks before the assessment.’
He has learnt a lot.
‘You look at football from a different view and game-related situations in a different way, not just at what the man on the ball is doing,’ he said.
‘I will be able to be a bit more technical and tactical and teach people how to play as a team rather than individually and work on a team base.’
So what is his advice to other islanders of all ages considering taking their coaching badges?
‘If you want to do it, don’t just give up. It’s a big commitment and I had to take a week’s holiday off work,’ he said.
But he believes the venture was worthwhile.
He has no immediate plans to take the Uefa B badge and has been advised by his English assessor that it is a big step and to wait until he has gained more experience.
Sir Alex Ferguson is one coach he admires because of what he has done at Manchester United.
Locally he appreciates what Geoff Tardif did at North.
‘He has probably made our Priaulx side what it is through the youth development system,’ he said.
Ex Grammar School student Woodford has been involved with Northerners since the minis and is currently Jackson goalkeeper and reserve for the Priaulx.
He played for Guernsey at U-18 and Star Trophy levels.
Article posted on 9th January, 2008 - 12.00am
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