How to become a football coach in Sussex

National qualifications, local support

National coaching qualifications are run through England Football Learning (opens in a new tab). Sussex FA does not decide whether you get on a national course; its local role is coach development and support around that pathway.

The SO GOOD Coaching Network

One Sussex-specific option worth knowing about is the SO GOOD Coaching Network (opens in a new tab). Sussex FA currently organises it into four groups: Female (self-identifying & non-binary), Male (self-identifying & non-binary), Youth for 16 to 25 year-olds, and Disability for coaches with a disability and coaches working in the disability game.

Sussex FA currently lists these membership benefits:

• a branded SO GOOD coaches journal
• discounted CPD sessions, resources and bespoke workshops
• access to SO GOOD ambassadors
• networking with other coaches
• career advice and coaching opportunities

There is an annual membership fee. Check the current amount and benefits on the Sussex FA page before joining, because both can change between seasons.

Sussex FA also publishes coaching opportunities and CPD activity through the season. Check the current listings when you need them rather than relying on an old event article.

Two questions are worth asking your club early: does it have a coaching lead who can point you towards club-specific development, and does it contribute towards any course or check costs?

The first coaching qualification, and what comes before it

EE Playmaker is useful, but it is not a prerequisite for Introduction to Coaching Football.

EE Playmaker (opens in a new tab) is a free online introduction, open from age 14. It prepares you to support football sessions. It does not by itself qualify you to lead them, and you do not have to complete it before moving to the coaching qualification.

To enrol on Introduction to Coaching Football (opens in a new tab), you must be at least 16 and hold an in-date Safeguarding Children qualification plus an accepted FA medical qualification such as Introduction to First Aid in Football.

Introduction to Coaching Football (opens in a new tab) is the first coaching qualification on the current pathway and is delivered online.

The UEFA C Diploma (opens in a new tab) is the next formal coaching qualification after Introduction to Coaching Football for coaches who are ready for it and meet its additional prerequisites.

Our becoming-a-coach guide covers the wider role and club process.

Checks and safeguarding

They are separate questions, and they are easy to blur.

If you are going to be a named manager or coach of a youth team at an affiliated club, the FA's 2026/27 affiliation requirements (opens in a new tab) apply: all named youth-team managers and coaches require an in-date, accepted DBS and the Safeguarding Children Course.

The FA also puts responsibility on clubs and leagues to ensure that people who require a check hold an FA-accepted, in-date disclosure issued within the last three years (opens in a new tab). Use that FA page for the football process, not as the statutory eligibility test.

What level of check a role can be eligible for is a separate statutory question. Current government guidance for sport (opens in a new tab) bases that on what the role involves and how often the activity happens. From 1 September 2026, the supervision exemption was removed from regulated activity with children (opens in a new tab), so supervision no longer keeps a role outside regulated activity where the activity and frequency conditions are met. The change does not mean every role involving children becomes regulated activity, and it does not itself create a universal requirement for a check.

If you intend to coach independently and charge for it, the route can be different again. Our guide to setting up as a self-employed coach covers that position.

Sussex FA can explain its own football process and what an affiliated club needs to do. It does not decide statutory DBS eligibility.

Where to coach

There are several routes in, depending on how much responsibility you want to take on.

A club near you, perhaps your own child's team. Find a club in Sussex and ask whether it needs support with an existing team or a new one.

Starting something. If there is no suitable club where you live, our start-a-club guide explains what setting one up involves.

Coaching independently. If you want to charge for sessions, our guide to setting up as a self-employed coach covers the checks, insurance and business side. FindMeFootball coaching listings are currently free.

Volunteering off the pitch. Clubs also need welfare and administrative roles; our guide to the club welfare officer covers what that role involves.

Sussex County FA covers East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton & Hove together. Our Sussex clubs page explains how the football geography is organised and links to the clubs we list.

What you will be coaching

Youth formats changed from the start of the 2026/27 season, with smaller formats played later through the pathway than before. England Football's FutureFit guidance (opens in a new tab) explains the change. Our England age-group rules guide sets out the current maximum formats by age group.

Find a club in Sussex

Browse the clubs we list across Sussex and contact them directly. If you are already coaching independently, FindMeFootball coaching listings are currently free.