“I am a parent coach and my goal is to get to a standard to coach at a higher level one day.”
I remember thinking exactly the same thing when I started. My son’s U9 team needed a coach. Nobody else would do it. I volunteered knowing nothing about coaching beyond what I had absorbed playing in my own youth.
Five years later, I was coaching at an academy.
The journey was not linear. It was not quick. But it was possible. Here is what it actually took.
Where Most Parent Coaches Start
I started like most parent coaches start. Running drills I had found online without understanding why they worked or whether they were appropriate. Hoping the session would hold together. Feeling like I was constantly improvising.
The motivation was genuine. The knowledge was minimal. The time was limited because I was still working full-time and raising a family.
What I did not realise at first was that this position had advantages. I had real motivation to improve because I watched my own child in every session. I had practical experience from day one, learning what actually worked rather than what theory suggested should work. I had relationships with players already built.
The gap between where I was and where I wanted to be was enormous. But the foundation existed. I just needed to build on it intentionally.
The Realisation That Started Everything
The turning point came when I watched a coach from a local academy run a guest session with our team.
His session looked nothing like mine. Activities flowed into each other. Players seemed to know what to do without constant instruction. Development was visible in ninety minutes.
I asked him afterwards what made the difference. “I know why I am doing everything,” he said. “Every exercise connects to something. You are running drills. I am developing players.”
That conversation triggered genuine development. I had been executing activities without understanding their purpose. He was designing experiences with clear developmental intent.
I needed to learn the “why” behind the “what.”
The Development That Actually Mattered
Over the following years, I pursued formal qualifications. Level 2, then working toward Level 3. The qualifications were not optional for the roles I wanted, and they provided foundational knowledge I lacked.
But the qualifications alone were not enough. I knew coaches with high-level badges who could not actually develop players. I knew coaches with basic qualifications who were outstanding. The difference was what happened beyond the course.
I joined coaching communities where I could learn from others facing similar challenges. I found a mentor who would observe my sessions and provide honest feedback. I consumed content obsessively, then tested ideas in my own sessions.
The learning never stopped. It still has not. The moment I thought I knew enough was the moment I stopped developing.
The Network That Created Opportunity
My first academy opportunity did not come from an advertisement. It came from a coach I had connected with through a community.
He had seen me asking questions, sharing reflections, contributing to discussions. When a position opened at his academy, he thought of me. Not because I was the most qualified candidate. Because I was a known quantity he trusted would keep developing.
Many coaching opportunities never get advertised. They go to people who are already visible to decision-makers. Building a network was not about collecting contacts. It was about building relationships with people who could one day recommend me for positions they heard about.
The Evidence That Made The Difference
When the opportunity came, I needed more than enthusiasm. I needed evidence.
I could demonstrate player development because I had tracked it. I had examples of players who had improved significantly under my coaching. I had session records showing intentional, progressive development. I had testimonials from parents who had seen the difference.
The documentation took effort. But when the interview arrived, I had concrete evidence to discuss rather than vague claims about my abilities.
The Barriers That Nearly Stopped Me
Time was the constant enemy. Working full-time, parenting full-time, and coaching in spare time left little space for development. I had to protect small amounts of time ruthlessly. Thirty minutes daily reading about coaching. An hour weekly watching academy sessions. Small investments that compounded over years.
Self-doubt appeared regularly. “I am just a parent coach. Who am I to think about academy level?” But every coach at higher levels started somewhere. Many started exactly where I was. The difference was that they kept developing when others settled.
When my son moved to a different team, my motivation temporarily wavered. I had started coaching because of him. What was the point now that he was not in my sessions?
Finding identity in coaching itself, not just my child’s participation, was essential. The love of development. The satisfaction of watching players improve. The challenge of becoming a better coach. These motivations survived when the original reason changed.
What The Journey Actually Looked Like
Parent coach to academy level took me five years of intentional development.
Year one was awareness. Recognising what I did not know. Beginning to learn the fundamentals.
Year two was foundation building. Completing qualifications. Understanding session design principles. Learning age-appropriate development.
Year three was application. Testing new approaches. Reflecting on what worked. Adjusting based on feedback. Building new habits.
Year four was integration. Knowledge becoming natural. Sessions feeling intuitive. Player needs being recognised automatically.
Year five was advancement. Clear coaching philosophy established. Demonstrable player development. Recognition from others. Opportunities appearing.
The timeline varies for everyone. Some move faster. Some take longer. The path is not straight. But consistent development over time produces results.
What This Means For You
If you are a parent coach with higher-level aspirations, the journey is possible.
It requires intentional development over years. Qualification completion. Continuous learning beyond courses. Network building with people who can create opportunities. Practical experience across different contexts. Documentation of your development impact.
The parent coach who develops intentionally often surpasses the badge-only coach who stopped learning after certification. Where you start does not determine where you finish.
What you do next does.
Start by finding a community of coaches to learn with. Pursue your next qualification. Ask someone experienced to observe your sessions. Track the development of your players. Build relationships with coaches at the level you aspire to reach.
The goal is not guaranteed. It is not easy. But it is achievable for those who develop with intention and persistence.
Your journey can look like mine did. It starts with deciding that “one day” becomes “starting now.”
Ready to accelerate your coaching development?
The Football Coaching Academy is where parent coaches become higher-level coaches. Resources, community, and support from 1,600+ coaches on similar journeys. $1/month to start.