England Football Learning has announced the launch of a fully-funded places initiative for the 2021/22 season, which will cover the cost of a percentage of places on the Introduction to Coaching Football and UEFA C Licence courses.

The places, which have been funded by Sport England, will be provided for coaches who qualify for additional support in accessing coaching provision.

The initiative is aligned to a wider goal of helping to increase participation within historically underrepresented groups (including female coaches and coaches from Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic, disabled and female backgrounds) as well as supporting individuals from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds.

Speaking on the launch of the initiative, Lucy Pearson, Head of FA Education, said: "It’s great to be launching the first application window of our Fully-Funded Places Programme, an important step in our commitment to ensure our courses are accessible. This programme will help our intention to diversify the coaching workforce and to increase the number of qualified coaches supporting players in grassroots football. We encourage anyone who needs financial support to gain a coaching qualification in football to apply and want to assure individuals that the application and its details will be kept confidential."

How do I apply for a fully-funded place?

To apply for a fully-funded place on Introduction to Coaching Football or the UEFA C Licence, you will be required to login via FA Learning and complete an application form to assess your eligibility. The application process should take around 10 minutes to complete.

The application process for fully-funded places will be open between 13 December 2021 - 9 January 2022.

Please note that to be eligible to apply for a fully-funded place on Introduction to Coaching Football, you must have completed BT Playmaker by England Football.

To apply for a fully-funded place on the UEFA C Licence, you must have completed either Introduction to Coaching Football or The FA Level 1 in Coaching Football, Safeguarding Children Course (previously known as Safeguarding Children Workshop) and Introduction to First Aid in Football (previously known as FA Emergency Aid).

To be the first to know when applications are open, please fill out the form below.

Register your interest

What happens if I’m successful?

If you are successful in receiving a fully-funded place on one of our courses, you will be contacted directly with further instructions on how to redeem your place. You must use your place on a course during the 2021/22 season.