Careers

DBS International Soccer Academy
Location: Sport Ireland Campus, Abbottstown (travel required)
Reporting to: Academy Director / Head of Operations
Type: Full-time, Graduate Position.

We are excited to offer you the position of Graduate Development Coach at DBS International Soccer Academy. This full-time role is an ideal entry point for a newly graduated individual looking to launch their coaching career in a high-performance football academy setting. You will work closel with our senior coaching team, supporting daily coaching activities and gaining valuable experience across our academy, camps, and Technical Development Program (TDP).

1. Compensation & Benefits

• Base Salary: Based on Experience
• Professional Development: Ongoing mentorship and training provided by senior coaching staff.
• Company Resources:
  • Access to coaching materials, session plans, and operational platforms.
  • Use of academy equipment and facilities.

2. General Responsibilities

Player Safety & Welfare:

• Support senior coaches in maintaining a safe, supportive environment for all players.
• Communicate promptly with staff on any player concerns, injuries, or incidents.

Daily Preparation:

• Arrive early to help set up training sessions and assist in session planning.
• Ensure coaching equipment is organized and available.

Administration:

• Record attendance and assist in tracking player progress.
• Help maintain databases for TDP and academy records.
• Support senior staff with updates to learning journals and reports.

3. Role-Specific Responsibilities

A. Full-Time Academy Support

• Assist in the delivery of training sessions under the guidance of the Head Coach.
• Learn to adapt coaching content to player needs and contribute to session discussions.
• Participate in gym sessions and support player recovery routines.
• Provide assistance during in-season class delivery and presentation preparation.

Matchday Support:

• Help set up matches, take notes on performance, and assist in refereeing.
• Join in team talks and support post-match debrief sessions.

Player Mentoring:

• Observe 1-on-1 player meetings and gradually take part in discussions as confidence grows.

B. Technical Development Program (TDP)

• Assist with player check-ins, gear distribution, and attendance tracking.
• Support the delivery of weekly training sessions using tablets and pre-designed plans.
• Help collect player/parent feedback and share insights with senior staff.

Financial Administration Support:

• Help track registration lists and payment status.
• Assist with communication around membership issues or updates.

C. Camps & Events

• Assist with set-up and delivery of age-appropriate camp sessions.
• Participate in games, refereeing rotations, and progress observation.
• Support the collection and review of participant feedback.

4. Learning & Development

This role includes structured mentorship and feedback sessions with senior staff. You will:

• Receive support in developing your coaching philosophy.
• Be involved in weekly review meetings.
• Be encouraged to propose and test new ideas in a supportive environment.

5. Required Skills and Qualifications

• Bachelor degree in sports managers or related field
• An understanding of the Irish Football culture
• An understanding of club development
• An understanding of how to support clubs and increasing participation in our academy
• Excellent communication and organisisation skills
• Understand and proficient in Microsoft OBice

6. Employment Terms

• Start Date: Immediately
• Probation Period: 6 months (with potential 3-month extension).
• Notice Period: 1 month after probation.
• Hours: Full-time, with a flexible schedule based on academy programming.

We believe this role will provide a strong foundation for your coaching career while giving you the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the lives of young players.

7. How to apply

• Complete the below application and select the role you are applying for or email info@dbsportstous.com no later than Friday 18th July 2025

DBS International Soccer Academy
Location: DBS Academy Locations
Reporting to: Academy Director / Head of Operations
Type: Full-time, Permanent.

We are excited to offer you the position of Academy Coach & Head of Player Care and Education. This full-time role combines hands-on coaching with leadership of DBS Academy’s player care, education and wellbeing provision. Working closely with the Academy Director, Head of Operations and senior coaching team, you will play a key role in developing players both on and off the pitch, supporting their footballing development while helping them grow as confident, responsible and well-rounded young people. The role will span our academy programmes, camps and Technical Development Programme (TDP), contributing to a consistent, player-centred approach across the Academy.

Role Purpose

This is a dual-focus role at the heart of DBS Academy, combining hands-on coaching of a designated age groups with strategic leadership of the Academy’s player care and education provision.

DBS Academy is a supplementary individual development academy — players attend alongside their own club, school and county commitments — so the role is built around developing the player as a person, not just as a footballer.

On the grass, the postholder plans, delivers and reviews high-quality coaching sessions that develop players technically, tactically, physically and personally.

Off the grass, they design and lead the programmes that support the person behind the player — education, life skills, induction, parental engagement, safeguarding and wellbeing — ensuring every player is supported to grow both in football and in life.

The role is built around the coaching, player development and safeguarding standards set out by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) — including FAI/UEFA coaching qualifications, the FAI Player Development Plan, and FAI Safeguarding and Garda Vetting requirements.

The postholder is expected to keep their FAI coaching and safeguarding qualifications current throughout their employment.

Our Ethos: The Four Cs

DBS Academy’s focus is simple: we develop players and build people.

Coaching, player care and education across the Academy are all built around Jean Côté’s Four Cs model of positive youth development, so that every session, conversation and programme addresses the whole young person, not performance alone.

• Competence – building technical, tactical, physical and life-skills ability through well-designed, ageappropriate coaching.

• Confidence – nurturing self-belief through positive reinforcement, appropriate challenge, and player ownership of their own development.

• Connection – building positive relationships with coaches, teammates, family and the wider football community.

• Character – instilling respect, integrity and responsibility, on and off the pitch.

Key Responsibilities

A. Academy Coaching

• Plan, deliver and evaluate age-appropriate training sessions for an assigned group, aligned to DBS Academy’s coaching philosophy and the FAI Player Development Plan.

• Embed the Four Cs — Competence, Confidence, Connection, Character — into session design, coaching language and player feedback.

• Coach across the technical, tactical, physical and psychosocial development of each player, adapting session design to individual and group needs.

• Maintain an Individual Development Plan for every player in the assigned group, reviewed regularly with players and, where appropriate, parents/guardians.

• Plan and deliver session content, pre-session briefings, in-session coaching, and structured player feedback.

• Contribute to DBS Academy’s wider coaching curriculum and philosophy documents, and support coach development through peer observation and CPD.

• Liaise professionally with players’ own clubs, schools and county programmes to ensure a joined-up approach to each player’s development.

• Ensure every coaching environment meets FAI safeguarding, health & safety and duty-of-care standards.

B. Player Care & Education Leadership

• Design, implement and lead a Player Care programme across all DBS Academy age groups, covering induction, transition, and ongoing player support.

• Support players’ academic progress in partnership with parents/guardians and schools, with particular attention around key exam years.

• Develop a Life Skills programme covering topics such as nutrition, social media conduct, mental health awareness, and personal development.

• Own Individual Development Action Plans that sit alongside football development plans, covering personal growth, education and wellbeing targets.

• Act as the primary point of contact for parents and guardians on player care matters, maintaining regular, structured dialogue.

• Lead player voice and parent voice initiatives to ensure feedback shapes DBS Academy practice.

• Act as DBS Academy’s nominated safeguarding contact, working within FAI Safeguarding policy and national Children First guidance, and maintaining confidential reporting routes.

• Champion equality, diversity and inclusion across DBS Academy.

• Maintain accurate, confidential welfare and education records in line with data protection requirements.

Person Specification

Essential

• FAI coaching qualification appropriate to the age group coached — FAI/UEFA B Licence, A Licence, or Elite Youth A Licence — or an equivalent national/international coaching qualification for candidates based outside Ireland.

• Degree in a relevant field (education, sports science, psychology, social sciences) or equivalent professional experience in player welfare, education, or youth development.

• FAI Safeguarding 1 (Basic Awareness in Child Protection) certification, or willingness to complete before appointment.

• Willingness to undergo Garda Vetting via the National Vetting Bureau, organised by DBS Academy.

• Emergency First Aid qualification, or willingness to obtain on appointment.

• Proven coaching experience within a structured youth football environment.

• Experience designing or delivering welfare, pastoral, or education/life-skills programmes for young people.

• Full, valid driving licence, with flexibility to travel between DBS Academy locations.

Desirable

• Qualified Teacher Status, or classroom teaching experience.

• Mental Health First Aid certification, or counselling skills training.

• Experience within an FAI Player Development Programme, club academy, or equivalent talent pathway.

• Experience working within a multi-disciplinary coaching and welfare team.

• Additional languages, useful across DBS Academy’s player group.

Desired Qualities & Behavioural Competencies

• Genuinely believes development is about building people as much as building players — lives the Four Cs day to day.

• Player-centred and holistic — balances footballing ambition with genuine care for wellbeing.

• Excellent communicator, equally credible on the training pitch, in a classroom, and in a difficult conversation with a parent.

• High emotional intelligence, discretion and trustworthiness; handles confidential and sensitive matters appropriately.

• Organised self-starter, comfortable owning a broad and varied portfolio of responsibilities.

• Collaborative team player who works naturally across departmental boundaries.

• Role model professionalism and conduct, on the grass and in pastoral settings alike.

• Adaptable, switching comfortably between the intensity of coaching and the calm needed for pastoral care.

• Committed to continuous professional development, reflective practice, and safeguarding best practice.

• Genuine commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Coaching Impact

• Player progress against individual development plan targets — technical, tactical, physical and psychosocial — reviewed each term.

• Evidence of the Four Cs (Competence, Confidence, Connection, Character) embedded in session plans and player feedback.

• Positive peer / coach-developer observation ratings on session delivery.

• Fair and developmentally appropriate distribution of coaching attention and playing opportunity across the group.

Player Care & Education Impact

• Player and parent satisfaction, measured through regular surveys (target threshold agreed with Academy Director).

• 100% of players receive a structured induction on joining DBS Academy.

• Welfare and safeguarding concerns acknowledged and actioned within agreed policy timeframes.

• Life Skills programme attendance and completion rates across all age groups.

• Full compliance with FAI coaching, safeguarding and Garda Vetting requirements across the group.

• Zero safeguarding compliance breaches; accurate, up-to-date welfare and education records.

Safeguarding Statement

DBS Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment.

This post is subject to FAI Safeguarding certification, Garda Vetting via the National Vetting Bureau, and satisfactory reference checks prior to appointment, in line with FAI Safeguarding policy and national Children First guidance.

Equal Opportunities

DBS Academy is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

This job description reflects the current requirements of the role and may be reviewed and amended in line with the evolving needs of DBS Academy and FAI coaching, player development and safeguarding standards.