Pathway · Step up
Head Coach / Manager to National Team Coach
How to move from Head Coach / Manager to National Team Coach: what to learn, what to prove and what formal steps, if any, are needed.
Qualification check for National Team Coach
Required
This move needs the right qualification, licence or registration for the new role. National associations normally require top-level licences for senior teams.
2 to 4 yearstypical timeline
1new skills to build
1qualifications to consider
-56%mid-point UK pay change, illustrative
The move at a glance
Head Coach / Manager
Leads the first team on and off the pitch.
National Team Coach
Leads a national senior or youth team.
Skills and knowledge to build
Experience and routes that help
The routes into your current role also work for this one. Focus on a wider scope of responsibility.
Qualifications to consider
What the new role asks of you
- Select squads and coach in short international windows
- Coordinate with clubs on player load and availability
- Set playing and development standards across national age groups
Practical steps
- Ask for a small piece of the new role's work before you apply, for example one of the tasks above.
- Close the top gap first: Communication.
- Keep a record of two results that show you working at the next level.
- Talk to three people who do the job. Ask how they got in, and who they would recommend you speak to.