Football continues to grow in independent schools, for both boys and girls. With this comes a number of challenges for the leaders of the programmes, many of which are new for schools. Establishing a culture around the game, with which schools are comfortable, is part of the challenge of managing the growth.
Another is finding a place for the game within an already crowded sports programme, which has other, well-established winter sports, especially for girls. This is compounded by the competition landscape, operating across both terms, often with an unpredictable knockout structure.
Unlike most sports played in independent schools, the country’s top 18 year olds are rarely still in the school environment. Finding an appropriate post-school pathway therefore constitutes a unique challenge, and one in which the US university scholarship route is increasingly attractive. Managing parental expectations is a significant part of this.
This year’s annual conference will address all of these issues, as well as the development of high quality coaching to match the requirements of a growing game. It will enable Heads of Football to become aware of trends and developments at a national level, to inform their increasingly complex task of leading Football within the school environment.
It will also, of course, be an opportunity to network with like-minded professionals in a convivial environment.
This conference is run in association with the Independent Schools' Football Association which is affiliated to The Football Association and is recognised by The FA as the body responsible for the development of the game in the independent sector.
