McDonald’s and Kick It Out have teamed up with English football manager Emma Hayes OBE to award 100 bursaries to aspiring football coaches nationwide.
Under the partnership, Hayes will mentor a group of selected coaches, supporting them as they work toward their qualifications.
The bursaries are aimed at young people from disadvantaged or minority backgrounds and will fund their Introduction to football coaching and UEFA C coaching qualifications. With the cost of coaching qualifications often exceeding £5,000, these bursaries aim to ensure talented individuals are not priced out of pursuing a career in football coaching.
“Coach education and qualifications are cost prohibitive, yet there’s still this expectation that people should be able to access great grassroots football coaches for free,” Hayes said.
“There are so many amazing volunteers who work tirelessly in football, and I think more needs to be done to invest in developing these leaders and champion them for the wonderful work that they do.
“Until more is done at an institutional level, subsidies like the McDonald’s Makin it bursary, will be so important to create more qualified coaches, and help aspiring coaches from disadvantaged backgrounds get the support and encouragement they need to continue on in the game.”
This initiative is part of McDonald’s “Makin’ It” programme, which focuses on creating opportunities for young people within their communities. The bursary programme specifically targets concerns raised by young people about the barriers they face in accessing career opportunities.
Recent research by McDonald’s, surveying 2,000 young people aged 16 to 24, found that nearly half (44%) believe there are not enough local projects providing support and opportunities for them.
Additionally, many young people feel there is a lack of opportunity and face significant barriers to success. As a result, over half (51%) are lowering their expectations for the future and almost a third (27%) have become less ambitious.
Andrew Moys, VP of Impact for McDonald’s UK and Ireland, commented: “Makin’ it is about frontline change – whether that’s youth work embedded into local areas to give young people access to trusted adult support, or funding football coaching bursaries – we are actively trying to open up genuine opportunity in our local communities.
“Over the last 18 months, we’ve seen first-hand the difference that can be made when young people have access to real opportunity and trusted adult support via our youth work programme, and we’re excited to expand the essence of Makin’ it into football through a new partnership with Kick it Out and Emma Hayes.
“Better access to tangible, local opportunities like these coaching qualifications and mentorship from Emma, can help drive real change for young people across the country, many of whom might feel their career dreams are out of reach.”
Earlier this year, Digital Bank Chase launched a similar initiative after becoming the official banking partner of the UK home nation football teams. As part of this partnership, Chase offered fully funded coaching qualifications and free learning tools to individuals from low-income backgrounds across the UK.
