Football thoughts
Thoughts on EPPP, coaching education, player development and more.
All pieces
Newsletters, articles and notes on football development. Most recent first.
UEFA B Fitness Diploma: What It Requires, Who It's For, and What It Changes
England's UEFA B Fitness Diploma pilot has 16 places and requires UEFA C or 7 years' experience plus a sports science degree. What it changes, and who it excludes.
Female Referees in England Grew 29% in a Year: Fragile Growth
Female referees grew 29% in a year, the fastest-growing group in the officiating pool. What produced the growth, what the aggregate figure hides, and why the pipeline is still fragile.
The Real Cost of a Coaching Licence: What It Says About English Football
England's full coaching pathway costs £19,650 in tuition. Spain's equivalent is €6,000. What that gap reveals about access, diversity and who becomes a coach.
Female Coaches in Football Are Declining as the Pay Gets Better: What the Data Shows
Between 2022 and 2024, coaching pay in the UK rose sharply. Female coach representation fell. What the data shows, what the research explains, and what deliberate design produces instead.
The Best People in Football Development Are Invisible Online. Here's Why That's a Problem.
More than 200,000 people hold UEFA coaching licences. Almost none of them are publishing. Research shows 90% of commissioning decisions go to people already on the shortlist.
Relative Age Effect in Football Academies: What the Research Says About Who Gets Selected
What the research says about who gets selected in elite youth football, and why the players most likely to be discarded often have the longest careers.
Does Your Coaching Licence Actually Develop You? Three Things the System Gets Wrong
Three things the coaching education system consistently gets wrong, and what you can do about your own development without waiting for the system to change.
Subscribe to my LinkedIn newsletter, Football Academy Intelligence, to read each edition first.
This is the kind of content I ghostwrite
for football development leaders.
If you want to get known for your thinking, let's talk.