England Football Learning celebrates latest technical director graduates | OneFootball

On May 1st, after meeting 22 times over 18 months, England Football Learning celebrated the graduation of this year’s cohort of Technical Directors. This marked a monumental achievement for the carefully selected individuals.

The 16-person cohort consisted of individuals from both men’s and women’s football, including Arsenal Academy Manager Per Mertesacker and former Lioness and Brighton Manager Hope Powell. All participants currently hold the role of technical director, or have been specially hand-picked as having the potential to fulfill the role professionally.

Alongside their 22 meetings, the group also had the opportunity to immerse themselves within a world-leading organisation in New York, where they received 1:1 tutoring from an expert business mentor. Additionally, the course called upon practitioners from a variety of domains, such as football, business, and even the military.

Four key learning areas

The four key learning areas on the course were: leading in the boardroom, leading the future game, leading high-performance teams, and leading and developing culture.

Within each of these modules, there was a peer group session to allow the cohort to share their varied knowledge and experience with one another.

Professional tutors from England Football Learning assessed learners at every stage of the programme — from the workshops and study visit to their independent projects and reflective journals — while providing individual support and guidance throughout.

‘These courses are crucial to stay connected with the game’

Senior Game Coach Development Lead at the FA, Phil Church, said: “These courses are crucial to stay connected with the game at the elite technical leadership level. So, from our perspective, to continue to grow that community of practice is really important and this course is part of that.

“Additionally, the opportunity to impact and influence some of the highest levels of the game and support and develop some of the brightest technical leaders we’ve got is also of real importance, and for us to continue with the success going forward.”

Per Mertesacker added: “It’s an absolute privilege to be a part of this programme, I’ve really been put through the paces and been able to explore my capabilities. Coming from being an ex-player then coach, this experience has revealed what it’s like to operate at that level of elite environments.

“One key learning I’ll take away from this is that football is full of good people who support each other. It’s been amazing to connect with like-minded colleagues and learn through shared experiences.”

Portland FC Special Advisor, Lucy Rushton, concluded: “When I went into this space, I went from a recruitment role into a technical development role, and I had to learn on the job. Here, I feel like I’ve gained like 20 mentors and learned about the day-to-days of the role, as well as the strategic planning and broader areas of a football club.

“I’ve also learnt a lot about my leadership style and my blind spots, which I think is really important. It’s where you get your learnings and where you can develop.”

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