Budweiser Coaches The Coaches
A series of top-flight professional managers have rounded off a summer that involved training sessions with non-league football clubs across England, in a bid to improve coaching techniques as part of Budweiser’s Coach the Coaches initiative.
Coach the Coaches is backed by The League Managers Association (LMA), and aims to help non-league coaches enhance their technical training skills. The programme was developed to provide clubs with a pre-season confidence boost and help them head into the new season with a sense of optimism.
The initiative kicked off with former Birmingham boss Alex McLeish visiting Shepshed Dynamo FC to help develop their technical skills and ex-Brighton manager Gus Poyet visiting Stanway Rovers to help them put together a strong attack. Meanwhile, Alan Curbishley visited Dorking FC to work on the side’s physical fitness, former Stoke City boss Tony Pulis visited Blackfield and Langley FC to work on their tactical ability and Stuart Pearce talked strategy with the coaches at Oldham Boro FC.
Find out what happened when Pulis visited the non-league club at Sport Industry TV.
All clubs involved are within steps 5-7 of the English football pyramid, with the programme being part of Budweiser’s #tothedream campaign.
Stanway United manager, Barry Lakin, whose club was visited by Gus Poyet said: ‘Scoring goals from midfield has to happen in any successful side, and to have a coach of Gus’ quality teaching us is an absolute privilege. We all have huge respect for what he has achieved in his football career. Some of the ideas he has introduced are pretty radical, but implementable too. Football is a results business, and I’m sure what we’ve learned will go a long way to helping us achieve our goals for the year ahead.’
Richard Bevan, LMA CEO, commented: ‘This type of initiative is an essential part of The LMA as we look to support all areas of the game. Having well-known names visit coaches of non-league clubs will provide a huge boost for those teams at the start of the new season.’
Budweiser senior brand manager, Christian Flouch, added: ‘Budweiser has a strong record of supporting football at all levels and wants to promote the long-term future of the game in the UK. Guidance from professional coaches for non-league club staff will help players develop and clubs to build their legacy and progress through the leagues.’
