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Former England U20 manager and current Carlisle United boss Paul Simpson believes that coaches from the UK don’t get as many opportunities within the English game as their foreign counterparts.
Simpson has worked at clubs such as Preston North End, Bristol City, Shrewsbury Town and Stockport County during his career, though the League One boss has never even had a sniff at reaching the Premier League.
At the beginning of the 2023/24 Premier League season, eight of the 20 managers hailed from the UK, five of which are under the age of 50. However, Simpson, who won the U20 World Cup with England in 2017, suggests that clubs prefer alternative options to British coaches.
Speaking to FourFourTwo, Simpson points towards the confidence the Netherlands has in building up their own coaches, lamenting the lack of similarity in England.
“I think the fact we’re English or British goes against us,” Simpson tells FFT. “It’s sexier for clubs to go for foreign coaches, and when that happens he’ll bring in four or five assistants from his own country which denies openings for four or five from here.
“Don’t get me wrong, a lot of the continental coaches are excellent, but homegrown coaches don’t get a fair chance despite the FA having a great education system.
“I did my pro licence alongside Ruud Gullit, who was Feyenoord’s technical director at the time. One member of our group asked why English coaches never got jobs in Holland. He laughed and said why should they hire Englishmen when they already had the best coaches in the world?
“I wish a few chairmen here had so much faith in their compatriots.”
The cost of a UEFA Pro Licence in the UK compared to elsewhere in Europe could suggest reason as to why fewer British coaches are getting opportunities, though.
Essential for someone who wishes to manage a club in the top tier of any nation’s league, the UEFA Pro Licence costs just over £1,000 in countries such as Spain, while those looking to complete the course will have to pay over £10,000 in England – and that’s if there even any available places on the minimal amount of courses held at St. George’s Park.
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