BT Playmaker by England Football
About The Course
BT Playmaker by England Football is our new, free online entry-level football course perfect for anyone interested in taking a more active role in grassroots football.
There are five modules in total and you don’t need any previous football experience or qualifications before signing up.
In fact, all you need is an FA Number (FAN) and a laptop, tablet or mobile device. Then you’re good to go.
Once you’re signed up, you’ll cover the following topics:
- make football 'For All'
- connect with your players
- create fun sessions
- keep football safe
- take your next step.
By the end, you'll be ready to hit the pitch with confidence and start helping out at your local grassroots football club, centre, or initiative.
How it's structured
The online modules of BT Playmaker cover five core areas, taking around four-and-a-half hours to complete overall.But there’s no time limit on completing all five - you can do them at your own pace and around your schedule.
Here’s what’s involved:
GET STARTED
This module introduces you to the course, what a BT Playmaker is, and its importance in making football happen for all.
To start, you’ll be invited to take a pre-course questionnaire to gauge your football knowledge.
Don’t worry, you’re not required to be a football expert - it just helps create a starting point for your progress through the rest of the course.
CONNECT WITH YOUR PLAYERS
A big part of making fun, safe and inclusive football happen is being able to engage with your players.
That can be easier said than done! So this module will show you some useful communication and motivation techniques you can use to connect with your players.
CREATE FUN SESSIONS
In your role as a BT Playmaker, you may be required to do some pre-session planning.
This module has you covered. It will show you a range of tools you can plug straight into your weekly planning.
And then when it comes to putting those plans into practice, it will show you how you can measure how your delivery impacts player-engagement, improvement and ongoing participation.
KEEP FOOTBALL SAFE
A fun football session is a safe football session.
BT Playmakers will have an important role in making sure players enjoy their football in the safest environments possible.
This module covers an introduction to concussion management, how to deal with sudden cardiac arrest, and the importance of having an emergency action plan.
It will also look at an introduction to safeguarding children.
GET INVOLVED
Once you’ve become a BT Playmaker, what next? If you already know, that’s great.
But if you’re not sure, this module offers some useful guidance on how to get involved in football after the course.
There’s also a short quiz and assessment to help you measure how much your football knowledge has improved since module one.
Who's it for?
This course is for anyone interested in taking a more active role in grassroots football.You might be someone who wants to help out the coach at your child's club.
Or someone keen to get more involved at your school, college or uni football team.
It might be that you love your walking football and want to bring some new skills to improve everyone's experience.
Whatever volunteer role you're interested in, this course is a great introduction to our brilliant basics of making fun, safe and inclusive football happen for all.
You don’t need any previous football qualifications to take this course.
Course Pre-Requisites
As our entry-level grassroots football course, it’s open to all - no matter experience, level or background.You just need to be 14+ with access to a laptop, mobile or tablet device.
If you're 14 or 15 years old, you will need your parent or guardian to add your account to theirs. They can do that within their My Account section of their profile.
Outcomes
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, you’ll be able to:
- Confidently support fun, safe and inclusive football sessions
- Help respond to concussion and sudden cardiac arrest emergencies as well as embed your Emergency Action Plan into your team/club
- Encourage participation through effective use of motivation and communication techniques
- Use the STEP framework to plan fun activities that meet players’ needs.
- Understand how to use England DNA principles of positivity, ball-rolling and game-based practice to create engaging sessions.
- Move on to our Introduction to Coaching Football course - if you want to! There's no requirement to move onto our coaching pathway if it's not right for you and your role in the game.
BT Playmaker FAQs
What type of role can I take on as a Playmaker?
Once you’ve completed the BT Playmaker by England Football course, you will have the knowledge and skills to help a 'named coach' in youth football teams and/or a 'Lead Playmaker' on our participation programmes, with the delivery of football.
This means you can help them in making safe, fun and inclusive football happen, but you cannot lead football sessions yourself.
Please note: In most cases those working with children will require an In-date, FA-accepted DBS check and they will be subject to safer recruitment processes. A DBS check will depend on the eligibility requirements, e.g. individuals must be 16 or above to apply for a DBS check.
If you want to take on a leading role, but know that coaching isn’t for you, there are some more steps you can complete to become eligible to apply for 'Lead Playmaker' roles in FA participation programmes.
What if I want or need to take on a leading role at my grassroots club, centre or initiative? Can I do that as a Playmaker?
Being a BT Playmaker will put you in a great position to take up a supporting role alongside a qualified coach or volunteer.
However, you won't quite be eligible for a leading role.
If a lead role is in your plans, that's great! You then have the option of becoming an FA Lead Playmaker - which you can do by taking these extra qualifications:
- Safeguarding Children Course
- Introduction to First Aid in Football
- DBS Check (required if intending to lead sessions with under 18s)
Help Centre
Have a different question about BT Playmaker by England Football? Troubleshoot it with our Help Centre.
visit help centre
Related articles
Check out the latest session plans, interviews and articles to support you as a volunteer in the game:
How to build a positive matchday experience
Read our top tips on how to create a fun, engaging and positive matchday for everyone, from acting respectfully to involving everyone.
Bib tag
Check out our latest fun session idea that will help young players develop their movement skills with the ball.
