Brentford FC coach highlights virtues of better player education

As a graduate of the Premier League’s Professional Player to Coach Scheme, Jon-Paul Pittman is now an Individual Development Coach at Brentford and is a strong believer in players securing the best possible education.

With the support of The Players Foundation, Jon-Paul recently completed a Master’s degree (MSc Sport Coaching) at Leeds Beckett University and he says it’s an important qualification on both a personal and professional level:

‘I don’t think you can develop as a coach if you don’t develop academically as well. You need to be able to theorise and research and you need to have a solid justification for why you’re doing things and why you’re saying things. I don’t think you can dream that up.’

Jon-Paul made over 400 appearances as a player with clubs including Grimsby Town, Wycombe Wanderers and Crawley Town. He’s since worked in academy and development roles at Exeter City and Forest Green Rovers, prior to his arrival at Premier League Brentford.

And Jon-Paul’s message to younger players is to keep studying and broaden their skills off the pitch:

‘Becoming a top player isn’t a standalone thing, the more well-rounded you are, the better. I used to look at the two things as mutually exclusive – you’re either knuckling down to get to the Premier League or play for your country, or you’re going to do some studies.

‘But actually, the two things complement each other really well and you develop so many valuable transferable skills in football. Don’t underestimate the opportunities that are out there.’

• The Players Foundation offers a comprehensive range of support and advice to current and former professional footballers and scholars. Applications are open until February 28 for our Winter Fuel Grant. You can see the criteria and apply here.