The L2CCF is awarded by 1st4sport Qualifications and has been developed in partnership with The Football Association (FA) and FA Learning. Coaching Football is a pathway unit of the 1st4sport Level 2 Certificate in Coaching and is accredited at Level 2 on the National Qualifications Framework.
For further information on the accredited status of the L2CCF, please log on to the QCA-accredited qualifications website at www.accreditedqualifications.org.uk.
Is the L2CCF for me?
The L2CCF is designed for adults (over 16 years of age) with experience of both playing and coaching football who wish to develop their knowledge and experience of coaching the national game. Students in further or higher education studying sports-related qualifications might also wish to pursue this vocational qualification as a credible rung on the coaching ladder.
If your experience of football or coaching is limited, you are strongly encouraged to consider the 1st4sport Level 1 Certificate in Coaching Football prior to taking this qualification.
Achievement of the qualification requires you to complete an FA Laws of the Game examination or be a qualified football referee (Level 7 or above). In addition to this, you must hold a current FA Emergency First Aid Certificate (or equivalent) or a current first aid award (eg the 1st4sport Certificate in First Aid for Sport) and have attended The FA workshop ‘Child Protection and Best Practice’. Your recognised centre may offer these courses as part of their learning programme for the L2CCF. Please contact them for more details.
Why should I study the L2CCF?
- To help players improve their basic techniques and start to develop technical and tactical skills away from the game environment.
- As a rung on The FA's football coaching ladder and the first step towards a UEFA ‘B’ Coaching Award.
- It is used as part of the requirements for amateur football clubs and schools to achieve the appropriate FA Charter Standard accreditation.
- It will allow you to access full membership and the benefits of the FA Coaches Association (FACA).
What can I use the L2CCF for?
- To seek paid or unpaid employment as a football coach.
- To progress on to a Level 2 NVQ in Coaching, Teaching and Instructing association football and other vocationally related football coaching qualifications, such as the 1st4sport Level 3 Certificate in Coaching Football (UEFA ‘B’ Coaching Award).
- As part of the development of a credible CV for employment in the sport and recreation industry.
- To help your football club gain FA Charter Standard accreditation.
- To access membership of FACA.
For further information on FACA, please log on to the FA website at www.thefa.com and search for ‘FACA’.
What will I learn?
Your learning programme will develop your understanding of:
- football coaching principles and ethics
- how to plan football coaching sessions
- how to deliver and evaluate effective football coaching sessions
- the development and promotion of football as a sport.
How will my learning programme be structured?
Learning programmes are usually designed by the approved centre that delivers the qualification. They may, therefore, vary in length and format. Depending on your needs, delivery centres can offer intensive courses or a series of learning events over a number of weekends. Whatever the timescale, all learning programmes should include the following phases:
- An induction to the qualification and your programme of learning and assessment.
- A learning programme divided into two parts, including the main course, after which you will be required to practice your coaching and gather evidence prior to a final assessment.
- A programme of assessment spread across the course, culminating in a final assessment of you delivering two coaching sessions observed by an appropriately qualified assessor.
At the end of the programme, you will be provided with formal feedback on your performance and an action plan for your further development. You should be aware that the qualification is likely to take between four and eight months to complete.
What will my assessment involve?
The L2CCF assessment will require you to:
- complete a series of assessed tasks covering all aspects of the L2CCF
- deliver three coaching sessions, observed by an internal assessor, taken from the Practical Syllabus
- answer written and oral questions on aspects of your performance, underpinning knowledge, understanding and application
- produce a log of your coaching before final assessment and associated session plans and self-evaluations
- deliver two coaching sessions, observed by an independent assessor, taken from the Practical Syllabus.
Where can I access the qualification?
The qualification is delivered by 1st4sport recognised centres, not all of whom offer open courses to members of the public. Your first port of call to access a course should be your County Football Association. Contact details are provided below.
How much will the qualification cost me?
Recognised centres offering this qualification determine their own fees and they will vary from centre to centre. The fees charged should entitle you to a programme of learning and assessment, registration and certification for the qualification, a 1st4sport Candidate Pack and appropriate learning resource. For further information on the costs of courses, please contact an recognised centre.
Contact details
For information on where to access a learning programme for the L2CCF or further information on the sport, please contact your County Football Association, details of which can be found on the FA Learning website at www.thefa.com/falearning or by calling the FA Learning hotline on 0870-8500 424.
Other 1st4sport Qualifications you may be interested in:
Many of the qualifications below have been developed in partnership with FA Learning.
- 1st4sport Certificate in Event and Match Day Stewarding (CEMS)
- 1st4sport Certificate in First Aid for Sport (FAS)
- 1st4sport Level 2 Award in Coaching Studies (L2ACS)
- 1st4sport Level 1 Certificate in Coaching Football (L1CCF)
- 1st4sport Level 1 Certificate for Match Officials in Football (L1CMOF)
- 1st4sport Level 2 Certificate for Sports Officials in Football (L2CMOF)
- 1st4sport Level 2 Certificate in the Treatment and Management of Injury in Sport (L2TMI)
