On Thursday 1st May, this year’s cohort of Technical Director Graduates celebrated the end of the 18-month programme, a monumental achievement for the carefully selected group.
The full cohort of 16 individuals from across both men’s and women’s football included the likes of Arsenal Academy Manager Per Mertesacker, Norwich City FC Head of Recruitment, Jay Marshall, and Special Advisor at Portland Thorns FC, Lucy Rushton. All learners in the cohort are currently working as a technical director in professional football or have been identified as having the potential to be successful in the role.
The group met 22 times throughout the 18 months but also had other individual opportunities including an immersive study visit exploring a world-leading organisation in New York City, and 1:1 executive tutoring from an expert business mentor. The course utilised a wide range of world-leading practitioners from within football and in other fields such as business, military and education, designed to ensure connection with the learner’s day-to-day roles.
Throughout the course, the group covered four specific key areas: leading in the boardroom, leading the future game, leading high-performance teams, and leading and developing culture. Each module included a peer group session to give the learners the opportunity to share their varied knowledge and experience.
Learners were assessed at every stage of the programme from the workshops and study visit to their independent projects and reflective journals. Professional tutors from within England Football Learning offered individual support and guidance along the way.
Senior Game Coach Development Lead at the FA, Phil Church, said: “These courses are crucial to stay connected with the game at the elite technical leadership level. So, from our perspective, to continue to grow that community of practice is really important and this course is part of that.
“Additionally, the opportunity to impact and influence some of the highest levels of the game and support and develop some of the brightest technical leaders we’ve got is also of real importance, and for us to continue with the success going forward.”
Arsenal Academy Manager and Technical Director Graduate Per Mertesacker, said: “It’s an absolute privilege to be a part of this programme, I’ve really been put through the paces and been able to explore my capabilities. Coming from being an ex-player then coach, this experience has revealed what it’s like to operate at that level of elite environments and shown me the desire to go into a more technical, sporting director route.
One key learning I’ll take away from this is that football is full of good people who support each other. It’s been amazing to connect with likeminded colleagues and learn through shared experiences.
Portland FC Special Advisor, Lucy Rushton, added: “When I went into this space, I went from a recruitment role into a technical development role, and I had to learn on the job. Here, I feel like I’ve gained like 20 mentors and learned about the day-to-days of the role, as well as the strategic planning and broader areas of a football club.
“I’ve also learnt a lot about my leadership style, and my blind spots which I think is really important; it’s where you get your learnings and where you can develop.”
