Premier Skills combines the reach of the British Council with the global appeal of the Premier League to use football to develop a brighter future for young people around the world.
Drawing upon the Premier League’s expertise, the community coaching programme tackles a variety of social issues, such as health, disability, gender, inclusion and education.
In addition to coaching, a range of materials, including a dedicated website, have been created for teachers and learners of English that utilise football-based content and the British Council’s world-class expertise in English.
Premier Skills has already delivered tremendous impact in 22 countries across Asia, Africa and the Americas. Since 2007 it has created training opportunities benefiting 2,300 grassroots coaches and referees who in turn have reached more than 400,000 young people.
Premier Skills programme in Qatar
Premier Skills was organised as part of Qatar UK 2013 Year of Culture by the British Council Qatar and the Premier League, with the support of the Football Association (FA), Qatar Football Association (QFA) and the Qatar Women’s Sport Committee (QWSC).
The first Premier Skills programme took place in October 2013 with intensive training for 25 male and female grassroots football coaches. The training provided by Premier Skills takes a holistic approach to community coach development, with participants attending pitch and workshop classes focusing on coaching behaviours, inclusive session planning techniques and personal development life skills.
The Premier Skills coaching programme is is offered at two levels, with an additional programme for aspiring referees.
To find out more about our grassroots community football development programme, please send us a message.