About Us

Who We Are / Mission Statement

To help raise standards of coaching in Grassroots Football, by providing Face to Face and digital support and accreditation for Clubs, Coaches and Players, challenging and empowering them to be the best they can be. In turn, helping to create and sustain positive environments for everyone involved in the game.

--- Steve Lilley, Director of Operations for e-CAN

Meet the team

Nigel Quincey

North Gloucestershire

A highly experienced English (FA) UEFA A Licence/Diploma Coach and experienced FA tutor/assessor of 25 years, still working for the FA as a coach educator/assessor. Have a proven record as Technical S...

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Gary McLean

North Gloucestershire

Gary has 16 years experience in Sports Coaching working across the various phases in the grassroots game. His experience has centred largely on the Foundation and Youth Development Phase age groups as...

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Chris Gooch

North Gloucestershire

Chris has coached for over 15 years across all ability levels in men’s, ladies and youth football. Notable clubs include, Cheltenham Town, Manchester United, Bristol City and West Bromwich Albion. Hol...

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Nicholas de Long

South Gloucestershire

Nick has undertaken roles at a number of professional teams at Academy, Development and Senior level in England and in Cyprus. He has coached at Senior Men’s International level, assisting the Nationa...

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Connor Sidley - Adams

South Gloucestershire

Connor has been coaching for the last 8 years working across a variety of levels including JPL, Grassroots and Academy football. Connor is currently working at Western League Club Cribbs FC as their f...

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Steve Lilley

South Gloucestershire

Steve’s background is in Youth Development and teaching. He has been combining these skills and experiences to deliver Coach Education courses for the FA for the last 12 years, and more recently has s...

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Dave Carhart

With 13 years coaching experience, Dave's recent focus has been within the Foundation and Youth Development Phases at Grass Roots, Development Centre and Professional Talent Pathway levels, notably in...

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Jack Costerton

Jack has been coaching since 2013 when he began a BSc degree at Gloucestershire University, as he studied Sport Coaching and Development. During his degree he coached in local junior schools and clubs...

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Billy Clark

South Gloucestershire

Billy is a former professional footballer, who made over 400 league appearances – most notably for Bristol Rovers FC. He is now Head of Youth at Bath City FC, and runs the Football Programme at Bath ...

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Pass n Support

Pass n Support is a programme which aims to provide help and guidance to clubs and coaches within the Grassroots Football Community. We have a team of highly qualified and experienced Coach Developers whose passion is supporting coaches face to face, in order to try and raise overall standards of coaching across the game. The knock on effect of this, is that players enjoy, develop and have the opportunity to progress in their Football.

We have a number of suggested means of supporting clubs and coaches, but ultimately, we are available and flexible enough to meet individual and collective needs, so can create bespoke programmes.

Club CPD Workshops

Coach Development Sessions

Club Match Day Support Visits

Professional Football Club Visits

Design & roll out of Club Philosophy

Ongoing Bespoke Club Support

Online Zoom Support

Guest Coaching Sessions

Parent Advisory Workshops

Bespoke Session Planning

Club CPD Workshops

Do you find it difficult to get all of the club`s coaches in one place throughout the season?

CPD Workshops can be delivered Face to face at the club`s venue OR via Video Call, and are ideal opportunities to get the club`s team of coaches together, focussing on specific areas of their choice.

Topics could include Practice Design, Behaviour Management, Engaging Parents etc. but ultimately can be moulded to the needs of the club and it`s coaches.

Coach Development Sessions

Are there coaches within the club who have requested some help or support?

We can provide this support to individuals or small groups of coaches. A Coach Developer can visit the team`s training session(s) and / or matches to work alongside the coach(es) in a mentoring capacity.

Coach Development Sessions

Match Day Supports Visits

Does the environment on match days look and feel the same as at training sessions?

Match Day Support Visits are aimed at clubs who have multiple fixtures being played at the same venue. A Zoom call will be arranged by the Coach Developer, to discuss Aims and Objectives of the Support Visit.

Focus could be on the behaviour of parents, linking previous training sessions to matchday, Coaching Intervention/Styles pre, during and post match, or any other areas the coaches decide.

Professional Football Club Visits

Professional Football Club Visits

Design & roll out of Club Philosophy

Does your club have an Identity which runs through all the age groups? Do they have a loose “way” of playing, of coaching, of supporting their players holistically etc. ?

Pass n Support can work closely with members of the club, to design and roll out a Club Philosophy to ensure that “the only thing to change as players move through the age groups….is the size of the shirt”!

Do the needs of your coaches change and differ throughout the season?

Pass n Support will act as consultants to the club, and provide a certain number of hours per season, to ensure standards of coaching within the club are kept to a high standard.

Therefore, the menu in terms of support can change week to week and month to month, depending on needs identified by both the club and their appointed Coach Developer.

Ongoing Club Consultancy / Support

Online Zoom Support

1 x hour Zoom meeting

Aimed at Individuals /
Cluster Groups (Max. 4)

Do you find that matchdays and training nights are manic, and you don`t have time to think?

One of the biggest challenges for the volunteer Grassroots Coaching workforce is time. Therefore, why not embrace technology and receive digital support from one of our brilliant Coach Developers.

Zoom Video calls can be utilised to support individuals or cluster groups of coaches around Session Planning, Practice Design or any other challenges that coaches may face.

Guest Coaching Sessions

Do you feel that a different voice, face and general approach, would be just what your players need? Would it also benefit the club`s coaches to observe other highly experienced and qualified coaches in action?

One of our Coach Developers will come into the club to take a session, spending time with coaches before and after to explain the rationale for their planning, as well as sharing their reflections.

Guest Coaching Sessions

Do the Mum`s, Dad`s, grandparents of your players have the very best intentions for their loved ones, BUT make life difficult for you as coaches sometimes?

Pass n Support will deliver a workshop to parents and supporters, either at the club or via Zoom, providing them with information on how players learn, the affect that praise, instruction and white noise has on their enjoyment of the game

Parent Information / Guidance Workshops

Bespoke Session Planning

Is TIME the biggest challenge for volunteer coaches, when it comes to planning training sessions?

One of our Coach Developers will visit and observe a team`s training session to get a feel of the dynamics of the group (age, experience, abilities, motivations etc.), before planning a series of bespoke practices and sessions for the coach to deliver. The coach will naturally be a major part of this process, as he or she knows their players better than anyone

Testimonials

What People Say About Us

Matty Dye

Head of Coaching (Peterborough United FC Academy)

Steve has had a massive impact on me as a person, player and now as a coach. Steve first began coaching me when I was very young and continued to coach me during my college years up until 18. During that time, Steve’s qualities as a coach and as a man helped shape me as a player and as a person. Despite stopping coaching me at 18, Steve has continued to positively impact my life and as a developing young coach Steve’s advice, guidance and support was invaluable to me. It is testament to Steve that through all of these years I would still happily pick up the phone to him to ask for guidance.

I will never forget picking Steve’s brains when I was about contemplating about how to get into the professional game as a young coach. He was and still is so generous with his time and I value his advice so highly. Several years later I am now Head of Coaching at a club Steve recommended I should get in contact with and I will never downplay the part Steve played in helping me in my journey.

I cannot recommend Steve enough as his qualities as a coach developer, coach and as a human are outstanding.

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