Essex grassroots football clubs and coaches looking for a pre-season educational offering during July and August can visit the refreshed 'Coaches' section of our website to discover how they can supplement existing knowledge and learn new skills.

Places are currently available on a range of coaching, development and networking workshops, as well as online learning for fitness. With clubs looking ahead to the 2024/25 campaign, upskilling is a key priority for many, and the following opportunities are available:

Club Coach Development: The application window for the ‘Your Club’ 2024/25 Club Coach Development programme is open. This offer provides clubs with the chance to invest in their coaches, helping to create more engaging and inspirational experiences through a bespoke workshop offer, delivered by a dedicated team of coach developers.

We've noted a need for clubs to be able to better support their workforce outside of the traditional learning offer of courses and qualifications. This is not only to upskill their coaches and players, but also to provide important social and networking opportunities, helping to navigate the rewarding yet challenging environment of coaching. The more informed the coach, the better the support they can provide. The booking window is open until Sunday 7th July.

Female Coaches Network: Local coach Estelle Handy from Barking has made a remarkable impression within the female game, both locally and nationally. Her journey started at AFC Leyton, an all-girls’ and women's club in East London, before making an impact with West Ham United, Charlton Athletic and, most recently, the England Under 16s Lionesses.

She is currently the Head of Girls Academy at Bromley FC, where she oversees the club’s female pathway and development programmes. Join us to listen to Estelle’s journey and observe and participate within a practical session. You’ll also have the chance to network with fellow grassroots coaches and to share ideas.

Football Fitness: This workshop highlights some simple and effective ways to build fitness into a programme, across the ages and formats. Who is it for? Coaches who are looking at developing a deeper understanding of 'fitness' and how it can be incorporated into training.

Expect a showcase of safe and engaging fitness-related practices, as well as theoretical discussion around fitness to support delivery. You'll also be able to recognise core physical actions which relate to football. You will understand how different practice designs and manipulations bring about different physical returns, and you'll highlight some best practice around managing load and pain. Join us at Parsloes Park in Dagenham on Tuesday 29th July from 6:00-9:30pm.

Half-Time Club: Attend these free, online webinars to develop your understanding of technical detail, principles of play and the practice design process. All attendees will receive one hour’s worth of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to help support future qualification applications with England Learning. Future Half-Time Clubs will cover the following topics: Game Tactics, Strategies and Systems; The Practice Spectrum; Building a Finishing Practice.

Pre-Season Preparation: July is pre-season themed, a time when clubs are looking to prepare players for the season ahead. There are many myths when it comes to how best to prepare players. It’s vital to ensure this time is safe, appropriate and engaging across all ages and formats. Therefore, we've built a range of workshops to help better navigate this time of the year, delivered by a dedicated pool of Coach Developers.

To find out more about these workshops, or to book your place, visit the 'Coaches' section of our website. You can also interact with @EssexCountyFA and @EssexCoaches on Twitter/X and search for ‘EssexFootball’ on Facebook.