An analysis of football coaching education: a call to action

Football is a game that is constantly evolving, and yet, despite advances in sport science, technology, and pedagogical methodologies, the pathways through which coaches are educated tend to remain outdated, exclusionary, and disconnected from the modern game. This editorial calls for urgent reform across three interconnected areas: accessibility, pedagogy, and continuous professional development (CPD). First, current coach education structures are usually restricted with limited course availability and high entry barriers that prevent many capable practitioners from progressing through national and international systems. Second, the pedagogical models used within coaching education pathways remain instruction-based, prioritising immediate performance, technical repetition and tactical replication over creativity, decision-making, and contextual understanding. As currently operated, these models are inconsistent with current research and may fail to prepare coaches to navigate the complexities of modern football environments. Third, the culture of CPD, particularly at the professional level, while essential, is inconsistently implemented and often compliance-driven rather than curiosity-led. The editorial argues that football needs an updated coaching education ecosystem; one that embraces accessibility as well as evidence-informed pedagogy (including ecological dynamics and game-based learning), and that recognises lifelong learning as a cultural rather than regulatory process. By reimagining how we educate coaches, we can better serve both the profession and the players who depend on it.