Thread 03 · Coaching journal

Learning to coach, in public, from day zero.

On 21 July 2026 I started working toward the UEFA coaching pathway in the Algarve: no licence, no sessions coached, nothing but a five-season plan and a first conversation. This page is the public record. Every claim is true, every number starts at zero, and the point is to watch it grow.

Day 2

Sessions coached 0

Matches analysed 0

Licences 0 / 3

Countdown to the goal · five seasons to the touchline 0.1% of the way there

1,825 days left

The road

S1 2026/27

UEFA C (Grau I), AF Algarve

Volunteer with the youngest groups, first sessions, learn the vocabulary, watch and analyse matches for free.

S2 2027/28

Bank the hours (the UEFA B gate)

Six months coaching while holding the C, the first public analyses, and the Grau II application in May 2028.

S3 2028/29

UEFA B (Grau II)

The Grau II course and its estágio. Specialise in analysis, and start moving toward a national-level club.

S4 2029/30

Earn the UEFA A (the Grau III gate)

A full season coaching as a UEFA B holder in national youth football, portfolio public, then apply for Grau III.

S5 2030/31

UEFA A (Grau III), if it lands

Take the UEFA A if the national season and selection allow, and apply internationally. Dubai does not wait on it.

Journal

1 entry so far. Newest first, most recent open. Tap any line to read it.

Day 1 Day zero 2026-07-21 ›

2026-07-21

The plan starts today with the first conversation at Silves FC. I went in with a simple offer: a spare pair of hands for the youngest groups, free match analysis, and full commitment to the UEFA C at AF Algarve this season.

It was short, about five minutes, mostly about what I want and whether I have ever coached a team (I have not). The answer came back better than I expected: there is room to help with a U13 group this season. Now I wait for the season to start.

Ten years of operations work, zero coaching experience, and no idea what half the vocabulary means yet. Writing that down so I can scroll back to it in five seasons.

What will live here

Philosophy

One page on how I think the game should be coached, rewritten every season, old versions kept visible.
Session library

The best session plans with diagrams, and what actually happened when I ran them.
Analysis

Match reports and tactical pieces, published once there is something worth reading.
Qualifications

UEFA C (Grau I): enrolling for 2026/27. Everything else follows the road above.

Updated weekly · The raw log stays offline, this is the version worth reading