Premier Skills is a partnership between the British Council and the Premier League, focusing on football coaching, leadership skills, and English language. The initiative has already enjoyed a successful pilot phase in Egypt and India with plans to expand the programme further across the world.

The Premier League supports a range of programmes in England that deliver inclusion, education, health and equalities all through the medium of football. Premier Skills takes the concept to a wider global audience, to build capacity among community leaders and coaches through face-to-face football coaching, and leadership and English language development.

In Korea, we have been working with MBC Football Foundation and Korea Football Association for the Disabled to focus on the project objectives and select the community based participants from social minority groups. 43 community football coaches from all over Korea participated, with half of them currently coaching and being involved in disabled football teams and six participants being disabled themselves.  This course in Korea was the very first to include disabled participants.

The interaction between the coaches and the participants strongly encouraged and empowered the participants’ skills as effective football coaches. Participants also shared how they had been enlightened by not only the PL coaches but also by the other participants, especially on their commitment and dedication to community work and with the disabled.

All the participants are expected to cascade the new lessons learned and work as a role model. Those with outstanding involvement in community will then be invited to join a phase 2 training session in Vietnam in 2010—an exciting opportunity to interact with people from East Asia and share their football experiences!