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About This Project
A group of 27 aspiring 17 to 23 year old football coaches from a further education college in Kent travelled to Valencia, Spain for a 12-day immersive football coaching placement funded by the Turing Scheme. The students were working towards an NCFE Level 3 qualification in Sport, and the Valencia placement was designed as a live, international extension of their studies. Rather than learning about coaching philosophies in a classroom, they experienced them first-hand, working alongside Spanish coaches in a completely different sporting culture.
Valencia has one of the richest football traditions in Spain, with a coaching infrastructure and culture that offers genuine depth for students studying sport at this level. The warm climate also made extended outdoor training sessions practical across the full 12 days, something that would have been impossible to replicate in the UK in any season.
Feedback from Participants
“It’s been such a great experience for us as young people, flying by ourselves and living without our family. We will remember this for the rest of our lives.”
Elliott, age 18
“Playing in this heat was tough. My feet felt like they were on fire. We went to the beach afterwards, and we got into a random 5v5 football game. It was brilliant. People were so nice here. I’ll never forget this, ever.”
James, age 19
Learning Objectives
- Enhance practical football coaching skills through daily on-field sessions with Spanish professionals
- Understand Spanish coaching philosophies, tactical approaches, and career pathways in European football
- Develop leadership, teamwork, and sports communication skills in a live international environment
- Build cultural awareness and personal independence through first experience of living abroad
- Gain insight into the professional football industry beyond the UK
What Did The Students Do?
The 12-day programme was structured around a daily rhythm of on-field training, classroom-based learning, and cultural immersion. Each morning, the group joined Spanish coaches for practical sessions at a local training ground, working on technical drills, small-sided games, and position-specific exercises that reflected the Spanish style of play. The students were not passive observers: they were given responsibilities within sessions, asked to design and deliver drills, and challenged to adapt their coaching language and communication style for a different cultural context.
Classroom-based sessions in the afternoons covered tactical theory, sports leadership, and the business side of football coaching, including how professional academies in Spain are structured and how career pathways differ from those in England. Guest talks from local football professionals, including coaches who had worked at regional and national level, gave the group direct access to perspectives and experiences they would never encounter at home.
Mock coaching sessions formed one of the most valuable parts of the programme. Students were given groups of local young players to coach, observed by both Spanish and British coaches, and given structured feedback in both English and Spanish. The experience of coaching in a foreign language, or working around a language barrier, pushed every participant out of their comfort zone and developed communication skills that went well beyond football.
The cultural exchange woven through the programme was equally important. Shared meals, community engagement, and unscheduled moments, including an impromptu 5-a-side game on the beach with local players one afternoon, gave the group a genuine feel for Valencian life that no organised itinerary could have engineered. These were the moments that participants talked about most on their return.
