LCA Care is a 4-module short course designed to position trauma-informed safeguarding principles and best practice as crucial to achieving excellence as an academy coach in the modern game.
The programme will prepare you for the everyday interpersonal yet challenging scenarios with young players and ensure the player’s welfare is central to future conversations and decisions taken.
Through supportive and open-natured conversations, this short course will educate you on the everyday challenges faced in your roles and throughout the industry.
THE COURSE CHALLENGED US AS COACHES AND MDT STAFF TO RETHINK WHY BEHAVIOURS OCCUR, QUESTION OUR ASSUMPTIONS, AND BUILD A FULLER PICTURE OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE IN OUR CARE. IT ENCOURAGED US TO STAY CURIOUS, CONNECT WITH PLAYERS, AND UNDERSTAND HOW THEY’RE FEELING BEFORE FOCUSING ON THE SESSION ITSELF. THE BEST PART WAS SHARING BEST PRACTICE ACROSS CLUBS TO HELP CREATE SAFE, SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENTS WHERE YOUNG PEOPLE CAN THRIVE IN FOOTBALL AND BEYOND.
ALICE WEAVING LCA Member
Module 2: Knowing the Person Behind the Player
Module 3: Responding to Challenging Moments
THE PROGRAMME PROVIDED INVALUABLE INSIGHT INTO HOW TRAUMA IMPACTS US ALL FROM AN EARLY AGE. AS DEVELOPERS OF YOUNG PEOPLE, WE CAN OFTEN MISUNDERSTAND AND MISINTERPRET BEHAVIOURS WHICH CAN IMPACT OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH THOSE IN OUR CARE. NO DOUBT THIS COURSE HAS MADE ME A MORE UNDERSTANDING PERSON.
HAMID LCA Member
IMRAN
WELCOME.
At the LCA, we recognise that football is far more than just a game. For children and young people, it is a space to grow in confidence, build lasting friendships, and develop skills that can be utilised on and off the pitch. In providing these opportunities we have a collective responsibility: to create an environment where every child feels safe, supported, and free to enjoy the game positively.
Safeguarding in football goes beyond compliance. It is about embedding a culture of care, respect, and consideration. Coaches, parents, and club officials all have a vital role to play in protecting the wellbeing and welfare of young people. This course has been designed to give you the knowledge and confidence to identify concerns, respond effectively, and make safeguarding an integral part of everyday practice.
The LCA continues to invest in safeguarding education, dedicating time and resources to support our members and the wider football community. Through this four-module short course, you will gain practical, vocational skills to navigate challenging conversations and apply safeguarding principles in real-world situations. By doing so, we not only protect young players - we strengthen safeguarding as a core standard of excellence for academy coaches in the modern game.
RICHARD BEVAN OBE LMA Chief Executive
PROGRAMME OVERVIEW.
LCA Care is a four-module short course designed to help coaches build trust and rapport with young people. It focuses on developing a deeper awareness and understanding of each individual within the player-coach relationship and explores how coaching behaviours can have a positive impact by prioritising the player’s welfare.
The programme is intended to be:
ROLE RELEVANT
To the real-life challenges and pressures of coaching in professional football
ACCESSIBLE
Delivered faceto-face and online to blend a hybrid learning method
LMA LEARNING PRINCIPLES.
MORE THAN LECTURES
Using tasks and scenarios for participants to tackle through challenging
CO-CREATED
Blending theory, expertise and research with unique stakeholder insights and experiences
CHALLENGING
Encouraging participants to adopt new ways of thinking and behaving in the workplace
WHO.
Open to subscribed LMA & LCA Members working with players under the age of 18, or who have recently held positions in the academy system
WHEN.
Starting Monday 13th October 2025
DURATION.
12 weeks
TIME.
In-Person: 10am - 2:30pm (Modules 1 and 2) Online: 10am - 12pm (Modules 3 and 4)
WHERE.
Modules 1 and 2: Face-to-face (Elland Road Stadium) Modules 3 and 4: Online (Zoom)
ACCREDITATION.
• Accredited by the English FA for 8 hours
• Accredited by the LMA Institute of Leadership and High Performance
• Participants with 100% engagement will receive an LMA Institute Certificate of Attendance
PRICE.
Funded by the LCA
THE LCA CARE SHORT COURSE NOT ONLY EXPANDED MY KNOWLEDGE BUT ALSO GAVE ME SOME PRACTICAL TOOLS I COULD IMMEDIATELY APPLY, ESPECIALLY IN THE AREAS OF UNDERSTANDING NEURODIVERGENCE AND COMMUNICATING WITH PASSION. THE COURSE DELIVERY WAS SUPERB AS THE EXPERIENCE WENT BEYOND THEORY AND GAVE ME A FRESH PERSPECTIVE THAT CONTINUES TO SHAPE MY PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL GROWTH.
RYAN MAYE LCA Member
PROGRAMME OUTCOMES.
The LCA Care short course is designed to equip coaches with the safeguarding knowledge, ethical confidence and player-centred practice to aid their personal and professional development journey in the following ways:
KNOWLEDGE:
A strong understanding of important safeguarding concepts and theories
SELF-AWARENESS:
An enhanced awareness of your own approach to safeguarding, supported by a framework of key skills
SKILLS:
A range of practical techniques and skills to enhance day-to-day relationships, build trust and rapport, and effectively plan and review challenging conversations
INFLUENCE:
The ability to advocate for best practice with influence, while also challenging and supporting others to foster learning cultures for both individuals and the wider team
THE LMA PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT MODEL.
LCA Care is grounded in the LMA’s Personal Development Model that provides a simple, holistic overview to the four pillars of personal development that are relevant to those working in professional football.
Through meaningful conversations, coaches will become more self-aware of their own strengths and the full range of personal development opportunities.
The model is underpinned by a blend of academic research and real-life member experiences, and is aligned with the game’s collective Coach Excellence Framework.
YOU focuses on your personal and professional development, encompassing self-awareness and wellbeing. It emphasises the importance of building a strong foundation to sustain high performance and achieve your ambitions.
THE INDUSTRY explores the wider football landscape and its impact on your role as a football manager. By understanding these external factors, you can make informed decisions, adapt to changes and manage effectively in the dynamic environment of football.
YOUR TEAM concentrates on your role and responsibilities as a leader, emphasising the importance of building, managing and inspiring a team for success. By understanding the dynamics of effective leadership and team dynamics, you can guide your team to consistently perform at their best and achieve its goals.
THE GAME focuses on your technical knowledge of football and sporting performance and the framework that shapes this. This pillar equips you with the tools to enhance performance and drive success on the pitch.
PROGRAMME STRUCTURE.
LCA Care will cover the following four modules:
MODULE 1: WALKING IN THEIR BOOTS.
Date: 13th October In-Person
MODULE 2: KNOWING THE PERSON BEHIND THE PLAYER.
MODULE 3: RESPONDING TO CHALLENGING MOMENTS.
Date: 13th October In-Person
Date: 10th November Online
MODULE 4: COMPASSIONATE COMMUNICATION.
CPD ACCREDITATION.
Accredited hours towards UEFA Licence validation
Date: 8th December Online
The LCA Care Short Course is accredited for 8 hours by the English FA.
MODULE 1:
WALKING IN THEIR BOOTS.
INTRODUCTION:
Date: 13th October
This module covers the contexts that young people live within and the impact on their safety and wellbeing, and is based on the principles of the contextual safeguarding model and offers practical tools for coaches to encourage understanding
Subjects Covered:
• The varying contexts that young people live within
• The impact of safety in different contexts
• The impact of these contexts on the person you coach
Learning Outcomes:
• Understand trauma in the context the live experiences of the players you work with
• Be curious about behaviour you see and use the Iceberg tool to explore what is underneath
• Notice neurodivergent behaviour, and ask questions to increase support
MODULE 2:
KNOWING THE PERSON BEHIND THE PLAYER.
Date: 13th October
INTRODUCTION:
This module explores behaviour such as communication, trauma, and neurodiversity in elite football and equips coaches with tools to be curious about players’ lived experiences through to enhancing support.
Subjects Covered:
• Understanding behaviour as a form of communication, on and off the pitch
• Post-Traumatic Growth – understanding trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in an elite football context
• Understanding neurodivergence in a football environment
Learning Outcomes:
• Understand trauma in the context the live experiences of the players you work with
• Be curious about behaviour you see and use the iceberg tool to explore what is underneath
• Notice neurodivergent behaviour, and ask questions to increase support
RESPONDING TO CHALLENGING MOMENTS. MODULE 3:
Date: 10th November
INTRODUCTION:
This module introduces coaches to tools to help better understand and support young people in challenging moments on the pitch, including potentially harmful behaviour and stress responses.
Subjects Covered:
• Responding to tricky situations as they arise on the grass
• Tools for managing harmful situations, such as peer-on-peer bullying
• Understanding the ‘threat response’
Learning Outcomes:
Apply tools on the grass in the moment of challenge to:
• Notice stress
• Notice behaviour and make sense of what it’s communicating
• Identify the prevailing need that is asking to be met
MODULE 4: COMPASSIONATE COMMUNICATION.
Date: 8th December
INTRODUCTION:
This module focuses on building trust and safety in tough moments and through conversations, providing coaches with awareness and the skillset to navigate challenging moments on and off the pitch.
Subjects Covered:
• The role of trust and safety in tough conversations
• Exploring difficult conversations that coaches have most often
• Tools for difficult conversations
Learning Outcomes:
• Use communication tools to respond to challenging moments that arise on the grass
• Use communication tools to prepare for and respond to challenging moments that arise off the grass
• Apply the tools from the programme to build trust and safety
THE COURSE PROVIDED ME WITH VALUABLE INSIGHT INTO HOW YOUNG PEOPLE MAY EXPRESS A NEED FOR SUPPORT THROUGH THEIR BEHAVIOURS. THE COURSE DELIVERY WAS CLEAR, ENGAGING, AND WELL-STRUCTURED, SEAMLESSLY BLENDING THEORY, CASE STUDIES, AND PEER INTERACTION. MY BIGGEST TAKEAWAY WAS THAT, WHEN WORKING WITH A YOUNG PERSON, I AM ALSO WORKING WITH EVERY PERSON WHO HAS COACHED, PARENTED, AND TAUGHT THEM, AS WELL AS BOTH THE YOUNG PERSON’S POSITIVE AND ADVERSE EXPERIENCES.
LING FUNG WONG LCA Member
APPLICATION.
To ensure equitable access, we welcome applications from all members who meet or exceed the following criteria:
LMA or LCA Member
Holds a valid UEFA B Licence or above
Demonstrate your commitment to development
The closing date for applications is Friday 3rd October 2025
COHORT.
The LCA Care short course is designed to accommodate a maximum cohort of 20 members, who are currently working with players under the age of 18, or have recently held positions in the academy system.
SELECTION.
There is no selection process. Nominated applicants who meet the entry requirements and apply by the advertised deadline will be accepted onto the programme on a first come, first served basis.*
*Should programme capacity be reached within the first application window, all remaining eligible participants will be entered into a randomised ballot
COURSE EXPERT.
Alex Hepton is a safeguarding professional who specialises in creating trauma and neurodivergence aware elite sports environments to create better understanding, trust, safety and performance.
He has worked as a football coach in the UK, Spain and the USA for 10 years, before moving into high risk youth work and later specialising in safeguarding strategy and domestic abuse reduction with a local authority.
Alex has since held roles in elite football as an academy safeguarding lead – where he supported a transformation of the psych – social approach to young player development. Currently, Alex supports the Premier League in its safeguarding work directly with Clubs and through their coach development programmes. In addition to his work in football, Alex works as a safeguarding consultant in Olympic and Paralympic Sport from a local to world governing body level, he has also worked in professional E-sports.
Alex has contributed to and supported several large-scale reviews including the Duty of Care in Sport Review, Domestic Homicide Reviews and historic abuse investigations in both football and cycling. He has a reputation for driving forward high standards in safeguarding and has an enviable gift of engaging practitioners, managers and leaders at all levels through his style of working. He brings a particular interest in raising awareness of Adverse Childhood Experiences and trauma informed practice, bringing a strengths based perspective to understanding and supporting young people. His specialist subject areas extend to the understanding neurodivergence, the complexities of safeguarding disabled children and the implementation of inclusion and strengths based interventions.
League Coaches Association, St. George’s Park, Newborough Road, Needwood, Burton upon Trent DE13 9PD 01283 576352 | leaguecoaches.com | LCA@leaguecoaches.com
