Become a Pro Football(Soccer) Manager
Becoming a professional football manager is every kid's (boys mostly) dream. The general manager of a pro football team has many responsibilities. These include signing and selling players, making sure the club does not go over budget and promoting players between the youth team and senior team listening and teaching players on what to do and all other things. Here's a guide on how to become a pro football manager.
Steps
- Apply to any job openings available at a local club. Doing this will help you in gaining the needed experience. If paying jobs are not available, then volunteer in helping the youth team, which is also considered as experience.
- Learn. Learning from the general manager in the club could help you gaining knowledge about the sport.
- Watch the games. Watching games from a tactical point of view might be very helpful. Take into account what formations work well for different players.
- Apply for any professional degrees. Most professional coaching degrees are available online. Gaining a degree in any sport related major will increase your chances of being hired as a coach. Sports management is a great start to a career in sports management.
- Get certification. A professional certification from the local football association is needed if you are seriously considering becoming a pro.
- Apply to the minimum certificate(usually labeled as 'C'). Apply to the local FA after gaining enough tactical knowledge about the game
- Apply for the 'B' certification. Only do this after a couple of months for your own sake, when you feel you really have an understanding of the game, and you feel comfortable managing a team.
- Apply for the 'A' certification. This will require a minimum of 120 hours of work with a club. Only send your application to the local FA when you are really serious about football management.
- Become a Pro. If you gain all the above certificates, then in ten years time, you will gain the 'Pro' certification. This certification will be your doorway to the professional football management world. This will be the start of your ladder to first division coaching.
Tips
- Read and watch games a lot so you can focus on what formations or tactics are smart and well thought out.
- Be serious, becoming a football manager is a huge responsibility.
- Being a previous pro player is a great basis to your career in football management.
- You may wish to take an undergraduate/postgraduate degree in Sports Management which would be an excellent basis for a career in football management. Other college majors suitable would be sports science or football management.
Warnings
- Becoming a pro is hard work. Patience is needed if you are to succeed.
