My name is Jack Fitzgerald, I'm 15 years old and I volunteer for We Make Footballers academy on a Wednesday evening as a coach teaching football to young children aged between 4-12 years old.

Before I had started volunteering for We Make Footballers I had always wanted to get into football coaching and We Make Footballers has given me that opportunity. I first heard of We Make Footballers last year when my younger brother (aged 9) started to train on a Wednesday. He used to come home and tell me how much he loved the sessions, so I decided to start going to watch him and see how he was getting on. It seemed like all the children there were not just having fun, but also really progressing!  Ever since he joined We Make Footballers I have seen a major improvement in his technical ability and he now uses this ability in game mode situations on a sunday. 

As I went more and more I decided that I really wanted to get involved with We Make Footballers so I asked if I could start volunteering for my D of E (Duke of Edinburgh) award that I had to complete in school.   As I finished the award I realised that I also was enjoying the coaching and decided to carry it on as all the other coaching staff around me were really friendly and I had learnt a lot and still am learning now.

My confidence has boosted a lot since I started volunteering to coach around 10 months ago now and it has helped in many ways, I have been able to meet new people and get along with many of the other coaches and also with the other young coaches who are volunteering as well.

Throughout football coaching I have discovered how to work with young children from all different backgrounds and ages and have realised more about the coaching industry, We Make Footballers have taught me many excellent drills to teach young footballers and the coaches really help the players improve in their footballing skills and their life skills such as morals for example shaking everyone's hand when the game/session has finished.

I believe the coaches put in a lot of time and effort for the players and I wish I had a chance to go to an academy like We Make Footballers when I was younger. Week by week I can see a real improvement in every player's footballing ability whether they are playing at a really good level of football or if they are beginners.  Everyone at the session is improving and most importantly having fun!  All players have the chance to play in all positions so they have a better all round understanding of the game but the academy mostly focuses on the technical ability of a player and how they can use these in a game situation.

For me We Make Footballers has not just taught me how to coach but has also helped me improve my understanding of young children especially the younger ones between 4-7 and how each child has a different abilities yet this does not change the way we coach as everyone deserves a chance to play football no matter what their ability.

The coaches have all been extremely positive towards every young player and if you are looking for football training sessions which are enjoyable and you are improving your footballing ability at the same time then We Make Footballers is the one for you.

I hope to carry on at We Make Footballers as I am young and still have a lot to learn about coaching and how it works it has helped my understanding of football coaching and the other coaches have showed me many techniques and drills to use when coaching the young players and I am really enjoying the coaching as are the young players enjoying the football training.

We Make Footballers Rocks the most!