Chase to support aspiring coaches from low-income backgrounds

Digital bank Chase has launched a new Home Nations football coaching programme that will provide fully funded access to 2,900 introductory coaching qualifications and 85 professional coaching bursaries to support individuals from low-income backgrounds.
The new funding has been announced after YouGov research revealed that the cost of qualifications is the main barrier to coaching for under resourced communities in the UK, with 45% saying that financial support would make them more likely to continue through the coaching pathway.

In providing more access to fully funded coaching qualifications at all levels of the game, Chase is hoping to help more people from under resourced communities across the UK unlock their potential, by fostering life skills both on and off the pitch, building pathways towards future employment and increasing representation to inspire future generations.

As well as revealing the barriers to coaching for communities, the research showed the benefits felt by those who do coach, with active coaches citing teaching & mentoring (58%), motivation & self-awareness (55%), organisation (53%) and analytical thinking (45%) as transferable skills they’ve been able to develop. 62% also believe coaching has made them more employable.

The research also reveals the power of role models amongst people from low-income backgrounds, with more than half of those surveyed saying they’d be more likely to progress their coaching qualifications if they had role models available from more diverse backgrounds. The funding seeks to address this directly by increasing representation of under resourced communities in coaching.

Chase announced multi-year partnerships with the FA, IFA, SFA and FAW in February 2024, to become the Official Banking Partner of all four Men’s and Women’s, Youth and Para national teams. At the heart of the partnerships is a commitment to help individuals in under resourced communities unlock their potential by improving access to resources, tools, and facilities that can support their pathway to future employment.

Alongside funding 2,900 introductory coaching qualifications and 85 professional coaching bursaries, the programme will provide free-learning tools for volunteer coaches that will be easily accessible via the FA, IFA, SFA and FAW websites.

The new coaching initiative builds on Chase’s ongoing investment in community-based programmes including a long-standing partnership with the National Literacy Trust and extends JPMorgan Chase’s decade-long support for local communities in the UK, where it employs over 22,000 people.

Deborah Keay, UK Chief Marketing Officer at Chase, said: "We’re committed to making a difference in the communities that we serve, and research has demonstrated that participating in football coaching can have a transformative impact on individuals, from improving key life skills to boosting employability.  We’re proud to work with the Home Nation Football Associations to help remove key barriers to entry for people from low-income backgrounds through the Chase football coaching programme by giving them access to the right resources they need to succeed, making the game more accessible and representative throughout the UK."

Lucy Pearson, Head of FA Education, said: “We are excited to launch this new programme in partnership with Chase, providing access to fully funded courses and free training resources to help to further the number of accessible coaching initiatives, and develop the next generation of coaching talent, from grassroots to the elite.

“It’s important our Partners share our ethos. Chase mirror our commitment at The FA to increasing the accessibility of coaching development opportunities to ensure anyone with a desire to progress in the sport understands the development pathways open to them.

“We’ve already put in place a number of programmes to diversify coaching and leadership workforces in recent years including our fully-funded places programme and coach development programmes, as well as our England Elite Coach Programme, which provides opportunities for coaches from underrepresented groups to work with our England men’s and women’s teams at all levels. We’re excited to work with Chase to make even more opportunities available across all four corners of the country.”

Coaches from the four Home Nations football teams have shown their support for the new programme, each having first-hand experience of the positive impact it can have on people’s lives.

Sarina Wiegman, England Women’s Head Coach, said: “For me coaching is for a big part about developing people and impacting their lives positively on and off the pitch. So I am very passionate that everyone who wants to coach is given the opportunity to do so. The love for coaching should not be prevented by barriers. When I look back at the start of my coaching journey there was hardly any support for future female coaches, a challenge so many others also had to overcome. I know there’s a lot of hard work going on at The FA to increase the accessibility to coaching qualifications, programmes and experiences. It’s really positive to see Chase’s commitment to work with all the Home Nation FAs to help future coaches to make their dream come true. And hopefully with this partnership and everyone’s work we will see a growth in the number of female coaches from all backgrounds positively impacting the game."

Anita Asante, England Women’s U23s Coach, said: “I’m really proud to be part of this announcement and hope that the financial support that’s being offered will support thousands of people from low-income backgrounds to pursue their coaching dream. I know there’s a lot of hard work going on to increase opportunities from the grassroots to the pro game and hope this can be another key step in ensuring coaching is for anyone regardless of their financial status or background. I know from my own coaching journey, and being privileged to be part of an all-female coaching staff with the England WU23s, that opportunity is key. It’s important we open doors to ensure those coaching within the game are truly representative of society.”