Building for the Future:

Former top professional footballer Noel Blake faced the decision he had been dreading a few years back. His playing career was drawing to a close nearly a quarter of a century after he made his debut in 1979. What was he going to do with the rest of his life? He loved football and still had plenty to give back to the sport that had given him so much. Opportunities in management were limited – scarce even – especially for black men at the top level. Coaching interested him.

“If you want to become a coach, then you will do whatever it takes,” Blake told us exclusively. “You’ve got to put yourself out there to become a coach. It’s unsocial hours. You’ve got to put yourself out there on Sunday mornings.” Yet this was what Blake chose to do. He had the dedication and commitment to do what it took to go into coaching.

“What I’m saying is to get up on a Sunday morning and coach whether working for an academy or with a boys team, it’s unsociable hours and that’s part and parcel,” he says. “If you want to get the experience to become a coach, you’ve got to start at the bottom sometimes. I chose to come into coaching when I finished playing and that’s the route I have taken.”

Putting Himself Out There:

For a former player like Blake, especially one whose playing career had longevity, it brought new challenges. Despite his many achievements in the game there was not the hint of a diva about him. He learned his new trade, receiving no favours and asking for none. He put himself out and made the sacrifices necessary to achieve his aims. He insists that he is still learning and has a long way to go.

Blake managed an academy. Armed with his qualifications, Blake was soon recruited by the FA, anxious not to waste the talents and commitments of former players, especially black ones like Blake, who were being lost to the game. Former Arsenal and England star Paul Davis is another who took this route, so what does his job his consist of?

“Part of my role is club visits to look at the centres of excellence, the academies and the youth clubs within these clubs, whether it is an academy or a centre of excellence,” he says, “so we have some contact with them. I go into the clubs. There are times when we put some sessions on.”

Both academies and centres of excellence develop young players, so what is the difference? “The academies have to meet certain criteria which are official – facilities and resources that meet certain criteria,” says Blake. “The centre of excellence or youth set-up have got certain criteria. If you were at a centre of excellence like Burnley or Bury, then you play in a centre of excellence league. In many respects it’s about facilities and you get a flag put onto it.”