Two volunteers passed DBU’s B1 coach education

“It is hard, it is intensive but also a lot of fun and educational.” These are just some of the words that former participant has used to describe the Danish Football Union (DBU) B1 coach education programme.

Earlier this spring, CBS Sport Football offered its two first team coaches – Thomas Staalager and Jeppe Udklit Svendsen – a DBU B1 coach education programme. B1 is the first level of DBU Coach Training – 40 hours that gives the participants a basic understanding of the many aspects that makes the trainer profession exciting, allowing them to develop both personally and professionally, and providing them with some concrete tools to work with back at their club.

 
Doing something for the volunteers

“CBS Sport Football has some extremely enthusiastic volunteers and the level of dedication shown by them is amazing – so naturally we are ready to go to great lengths to ensure they stay motivated and active within the club.” says Joachim Satchwell, a member of CBS Sport Football’s 3-person management: the Council.

However, with the rapid growth of the club in recent years, there is also a more long-term sporting agenda behind the decision. “This year we will spend over 10% of our budget on education for our volunteers. Last year we spent nothing,” Joachim remarks. “These funds have been found as a direct result of holding coaches accountable for their equipment. This has seen less equipment disappear and hence we have significantly decreased our purchases of new equipment. It is only natural that we ‘reward’ the coaches by spending the savings on them”

Joachim continues: “Although we believe dedication and passion for the club are the primary drivers of our coaches, it is important we acknowledge the challenges and increased expectations which affect the coaches following the fantastic growth the club has seen these past 18 months. The DBU coaching license is a way of providing them the tools to meet these expectations, both by improving the training sessions and by developing their authority and leadership on the side-lines.”

 
So: Back to football school

Jeppe has been a coach of the women’s team at CBS Sport for almost two years and didn’t have to think twice when being offered the B1 course.

“The course was well-structured as an even mix of time spent on the pitch and theories being presented in a classroom setting,” Jeppe explains. “It ran over two weekends, with the first weekend focusing on physiology and warm-up, followed by inter-active practice sessions covering everything from goal keeping to 1st touch, as well as spending time specifically on how to instruct including how to correct errors. The second weekend was spent focusing on leadership and ethics, and the practice sessions were more focused on technical skills and more match-like situations.”

His enthusiasm is shared with Thomas, who, having previously coached for several different football teams in the club, last year accepted the reigns of the men’s first team:

“Getting insights from coaches who have been working with some of the best players in Denmark was a great experience. Especially the focus on working with different kinds of personalities within a team, and how to balance a team with leaders and workers was interesting. There is clearly much more to it than simply picking the best 11 players when you set the team for a match.”

 
Preparing for the future

When asked what they’re taking with them from the course, the coaches focus on inspiration – both regarding exercises, how to structure practice and approaches to coaching: “Some of the inspiration came from the instructors but a lot was also gained from talking to the other coaches participating in the course, and seeing them coach throughout the weekend”, says Jeppe.

Thomas looks forward to using some of the personal elements of the B1 Training Course: “It was very educational to be confronted with the choices we knowingly, and unknowingly, make as coaches and how they affect different types of players. We are looking to recruit some 20-odd players for the coming season with foreign players going home, others going on exchange, and the creation of a new team. In the early days of the club we took in almost everyone, but we now receive over a hundred applications every semester from prospective players and we can be extremely selective. That puts pressure on us to make the most of the vast talent pool, but knowing the strengths and weaknesses of one’s own approach to coaching should go a long way in selecting strong additions to the team and avoiding potential conflicts.”

Read more about CBS Sport Football here. If you are interested in trying out for the team, please send an email to football-try-outs@cbssport.dk.