Even though only young, Chelsea has been part of local football for a long time and involved in our Girls ACC since U12's. Being in the office was a great opportunity for her to learn about the work Cornwall FA does on a daily basis to support grassroots football. Take a read below of Chelsea's report;

Who am I?

My name is Chelsea, I have played football for many years and have also been a member of the Girls ACC. I attend Penrice Academy secondary school and am currently in year 10, moving into year 11 in September. I applied for a work placement at Cornwall FA because I wanted to learn more about the work that they do to develop football across the county and the types of job roles that are offered within the association. 

What does Cornwall FA do and what have I learnt? 

Throughout my work experience placement at Cornwall FA, I have learnt more about the roles of each of the staff and how they work together to develop football. There are many roles within Cornwall FA such as Governance Managers and Safeguarding, Administration, Marketing and Development Officers.  Cornwall FA work hard to keep people playing football and to give them as many possible opportunities as they can to succeed. I have learnt and developed many valuable skills which I can now use in the future. For example, throughout the week I have developed my confidence in speaking to new people and working with adults. I have also learnt some new organisational skills which will definitely help me in the future.

What is a Football Development Officer? 

One of the roles within Cornwall FA is a Football Development Officer. However there are different types of these roles such as Women, Girls and Disability, Senior, Youth Male and Adult Male Officers. A Football Development Officer has many tasks that they have to complete in order to develop football in their area.  Throughout the week, I learnt more about Vicky’s role as Women, Girls and Disability Development Officer. Vicky was my supervisor and I learnt more about the many different tasks that she undertakes on a daily basis. Vicky’s tasks range from coaching, organising and supporting the Wildcats and ACC to making sure there are enough coaches and supporting them with their roles. In addition, there are many other tasks that a Football Development Officer completes as part of their role.  To be a Football Development Officer, you need to have GCSE’s alongside A-Levels in sport. It would be beneficial for you to have experience in volunteering or coaching to assist you with the role. 

How was my experience?

My work experience at Cornwall FA really helped me to think about my future. Throughout the week, I completed many different tasks and also attended two different meetings. On Thursday, I designed two posters for the Youth Footballers Hub on the website and learnt how Grace edits and publishes them. I really enjoyed my work experience at Cornwall FA and am now looking forward to using everything I have learnt to create and plan for my future. 

What would I like to do in the future?

In the future, I would like to work in the sports sector and become a highly qualified coach and develop football across the county. My future definitely contains some kind of job within football as this is my ultimate passion. I am excited to see what the future holds and thanks to this amazing experience, I now know more about what I want to do and be.