Supporting the people behind grassroots football in France, Ireland and Norway
Friday, September 25, 2026
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Grassroots football relies on the coaches and volunteers who make it happen. Across Europe, national associations are running initiatives to help these people develop their skills and continue to play a crucial role in the sport’s good health.
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UEFA Grassroots Week is an opportunity to shine a light on the work of local grassroots coaches and the initiatives our member associations have put in place to help them develop – both as educators and as people.
These examples show how different approaches are making an impact across the continent.
France: Building the confidence to lead
The French Football Federation (FFF) Nxt Gen Coaches programme is helping the next generation of female coaches build the confidence to lead.
The programme takes a broad approach to developing young women as coaches, combining technical education with mentoring and personal development.
Launched in 2024, Nxt Gen Coaches brings recruitment, education and retention together, supporting hundreds of women across clubs nationwide. More than 250 mentors have been involved in the delivery, creating a network through which participants can learn from others and feel part of a coaching community.
Technical development remains an important aspect of the pathway, with participants also completing an FFF coaching certificate for young people. But the FFF recognises that developing a coach involves more than learning what to do on the pitch. Leadership, self-confidence, mentoring and awareness of wider social issues are built into the Nxt Gen Coaches experience, helping participants develop as people as well as coaches.
The approach also reflects the importance of support and connection, aiming to turn initial interest into continued engagement and further learning. In this way, Nxt Gen Coaches demonstrates how investing in people can have a lasting impact: developing confident young leaders while helping create a more representative coaching workforce for the future of French football.
New e-learning course for grassroots coaches
UEFA and EA SPORTS FC FUTURES have launched Fundamentals of Grassroots Coaching, a free e-learning course for new and existing grassroots coaches.
The course offers practical guidance on creating safe, inclusive and enjoyable environments for young players, with modules on session planning, communication, adapting activities and supporting individual development.
Coaches can work through the course at their own pace, using practical examples and expert advice that can be applied directly to their sessions.
It is the first in a planned series of online grassroots coaching courses.
Ireland: Looking beyond the qualifications
The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) Me & My Learning programme takes a people-first approach to coaching development in grassroots football, recognising that the individuals supporting the game need opportunities to learn and grow throughout their journey, not just a qualification.
The programme gives coaches, parents and volunteers a central online environment, with learning structured around the age and stage of the players a coach will work with – split into five groups, ranging from five to seven-year-olds through to adult football.
E-learning is combined with practical, in-person opportunities. Workshops, digital resources, continuing professional development and on-demand modules enable people to keep building their knowledge and confidence between formal qualifications.
The programme is part of the FAI’s wider education and development strategy, providing a route into FAI Grassroots, UEFA Grassroots and the UEFA C licence qualifications. But its purpose extends beyond qualifications.
By supporting people at every stage of their involvement in football and giving them tools that they can apply in their own environments, Me & My Learning recognises that a strong grassroots game starts with developing the people who make it happen.
Norway: Strengthening local regions
Norway’s National Team School takes a collaborative approach to developing young players by creating opportunities for coaches and organisations to learn from one another and share responsibility for player development.
The theory is that the development of talented players should not necessarily take place in a centralised academy, but also in the grassroots environments where young people play every day.
The National Team School connects those grassroots clubs with their regional associations, top clubs and the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF), in order to bring high-level coaching expertise and learning opportunities into local environments.
The approach creates opportunities for the expertise in the national-team set-up and at top club academies to flow into grassroots football.
For coaches, this means access to a shared philosophy and football language, while clubs retain ownership of their role as development environments. The result is a nationwide coaching network in which learning and responsibility are shared, rather than held by a single organisation.
"The National Team School is the bridge where grassroots and elite football take shared responsibility for developing Norway's future players."
European Week of Sport
UEFA Grassroots Week takes place during the European Week of Sport (23–30 September), which brings together millions of participants through hundreds of thousands of activities, encouraging people to make physical activity part of their everyday lives.
This year, the #BeActive campaign emphasises that sport and physical activity should be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of age, background or ability.