Communities

'Arsenal made me a better coach and a better dad'

6 Apr 2023

Find out more about how the Premier League and PFA Community Fund helps clubs engage with their local communities

As part of the Premier League Supports campaign, we are highlighting the impact of Premier League investment on wider football and communities.

Arsenal

The Premier League and PFA Community Fund gives clubs across England and Wales the opportunity to deliver programmes that directly address needs in their local communities.

At Arsenal, this led to one dad qualifying as a football coach, which has not only helped his son enjoy and improve his game but also led to him becoming a sessional coach and role model with the club's charitable arm, Arsenal in the Community.

"To be fair I was a parent from hell," says Jamie. "After he would finish playing, I would grill him about his game, what he did wrong and I was making him uncomfortable.

"It was getting to a stage where he didn't want to play any more."

Jamie enrolled on a FA Level 1 coaching course as part of the Football Plus programme, which is supported by the Premier League/PFA Community Fund and uses regular grassroots football activities as a platform to raise awareness of important social issues.

Players and parents are offered opportunities to engage with topics such as touchline conduct and attitudes towards officials. Wider topics addressed include healthy living, anti-bullying, respect, fair play and anti-racism.

"I realised that everything I was doing on the sideline was wrong," adds Jamie. "Looking back, if I carried on the way I did, he wouldn't be playing football now.

"Being on that course changed the whole way I parent as well. It opened up my eyes about how I speak to my children, and now other children at football. I talk to them, not at them.

"I am a better person for it, a better dad, which is the most important thing for me. I can't thank Arsenal enough."