Arron Dougan’s journey as a grassroots football coach
Arron Dougan, 26, from Glasgow, is a passionate grassroots football coach dedicated to developing young players and nurturing future sports leaders. After an injury ended his playing career at 16, Arron’s coaching journey began in school with a Sports Leader class.
“I took part in various coaching qualifications and quickly realised this was a career I wanted to pursue,” he says. By 17, he had completed his first football coaching qualification and started working in community programmes.
Arron studied HNC Sport Coaching & Development at City of Glasgow College before earning a Sport Development degree at the University of the West of Scotland. Since 2021, he’s worked as an Active Schools and Community Club Development Officer in Renfrewshire, creating opportunities for young people. “ I’m now spending a lot of my time training and developing the next generation of sports coaches,” says Aaron.
Give it a go
Recently, Arron took on the role of Head Coach for the U15 squad at Glenvale Football Club in Paisley. Despite a challenging season with heavy defeats, he remains optimistic: “We find ourselves in a position of hope and drive thanks to better team cohesion, improved results and better overall attitude.” He admires his players’ “commitment, dedication, desire and willingness to learn” – qualities that keep him motivated.
His advice to new coaches is simple: “Just give it a go! Coaching is one of the most rewarding roles in the world. Be patient, it won’t always go to plan, and most importantly, LISTEN. Their voice is the most important voice.”
Aaron encourages coaches to involve players in decisions and build strong, positive relationships. But he also cautions newcomers about the time demands of coaching: “Be prepared to give up time and let being a coach become part of your life,” but adds, “you will have a group of young people who are so grateful that you give up your time.”
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