By Donna Lincoln
Mary Earps hopes ‘the next Sarina Wiegman’ can be found through an innovative coaching programme celebrating its first anniversary.
PSG star Earps swapped Paris for Barnet in a bid to inspire the next generation of female coaching talent and met Shahla Khaliqiar, who is head coach of three teams as well as assistant at Brentford FC Community Sports Trust.
The Lionesses shot-stopper, who won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award in 2023, provided tips on adapting her sessions to support goalkeepers and discuss the importance of creating more coaching opportunities for women.
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“It’s been so much fun to meet Shahla, hear about her coaching journey and see the positive impact she’s already having on this group of young women, said Earps.
“It’s really important that we run programmes like this to help break down those barriers to entry and inspire more women like Shahla to get into football coaching.
“You never know – we could be seeing the next Sarina Wiegman.”
Kaliqiar is a beneficiary of the Chase football coaching programme, which provides fully funded grassroots and professional coaching bursaries for individuals where cost is a barrier across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
More than half of those surveyed in a recent YouGov survey said they’d be more likely to progress their coaching journey if there were more role models from diverse backgrounds while existing coaches also believe coaching can be the gateway to transferable skills leading to future employment.
Three in four (75%) say their qualification has helped them develop key life skills and 62% believe it has made them more employable.
Chase football coaching programme beneficiary, Shahla Khaliqiar, added: “The session has been absolutely incredible.
“Mary is an amazing role model for women across the country and she’s given me a totally fresh perspective on how to coach goalkeepers.
“On top of this incredible experience, the Chase football coaching programme has been a real game changer and given me the platform, confidence and inspiration I needed to progress my career so I’m really excited for the future.”
Forty-nine per cent of adults in the lowest socio-economic groups have received no skills training since they left school, which can be because development resources aren't always available to people who need them the most.
Eighty-five coaching bursaries have so far been provided by the programme, along with nearly 3,000 fully-funded places on grassroots coaching courses.
Earps, who grew up in Nottingham and is now loving life over the channel after switching from Manchester United to PSG last summer, said: “If you’re interested, then my advice would be to apply – you won’t regret it.”
For more information on the Chase football coaching programme, visit: https://www.chase.co.uk/gb/en/chase-football-coaching-programme/
