Football Federation SA (FFSA) in conjunction with Football Federation Australia (FFA) conducted an FFA B-Licence course from Sunday 17^th of April to Friday 22^nd of April at Adelaide Shores Football Centre.

The B Licence course is for those holding an accredited FFA/AFC ‘C’ Youth or Senior Licence or recognised equivalent qualification.

The course sets out to educate candidates focusing on the 11 v 11 aspects of the game to apply the National Curriculum holistically to develop top Amateur Senior and Elite Youth players and State teams.

FFA Instructor Craig Midgley lead the course for 24 coaches across the week.

The course consisted of a variety of participants from PlayStation 4 National Premier League (NPL) South Australia Senior Coaches and Assistant Coaches to Technical Directors and even a Hyundai A-League player in Andrew Durante (Wellington Phoenix).

Robbie Saraceno who coaches at MetroStars in the PlayStation 4 NPL said that the B Licence was intense but enjoyable.

“I found the B Licence very enjoyable. I had heard it was a step up from the C Licence and it was.

“Over the whole week I think most of us walked away a lot wiser than we started.”

Saraceno noted that while in some areas the B Licence was similar to the C Licence he had previously completed, there was new thought processes delivered.

“A lot of the principles were the same as the C Licence but now the delivery, design and preparation of our sessions were a big focus for us to improve in.

“Craig Midgley was fantastic at delivering the course and gave us really good feedback in areas we need to develop to make the next step.

“Between now and part 2 in July we have a lot of work to complete as I think it will become a lot harder. Speaking to most of the other coaches involved they have also enjoyed it and are looking forward to the next part.”

The course focus is placed on the understanding and utilisation of the Coach Expertise Model in the improvement of the Performance Phase Building Block and develop the key coaching competencies of Training, Match and Management.

On completion of the course, successful candidates should demonstrate a deeper knowledge and competence in the following:

• The National Football Curriculum
• The Objectives and Structure of Football
• The FFA Philosophy and Vision
• The FFA Team Model
• The Coach Expertise Model
• Analyse Football and identify key football problems
• Plan, Prepare, Conduct and Evaluate a Training Session
• Time management
• Change Management
• Develop a 3-cycle periodization plan

Saraceno recommends the B Licence for those aspiring to develop along the elite coaching pathway.

“For any future coach wanting to go down the advanced pathway I would recommend it highly as it helps you put in place a process of what you know about football, out on to the field in a training session.”