Welcome to ‘Dugout Diaries’, a new content series from VERSUS in partnership with the Premier League highlighting a new cohort of coaches working hard to make elite level football more diverse and inclusive for the next generation, on and off the pitch.

Eric Odhiambo and Adi Yussuf are the epitomisation of modern day coaches. Young, engaged and super fun. Whilst both have a history of being academy players at Leicester City, they share the same ambition of ensuring that more young players like themselves can make names for themselves within the beautiful game. Eric is currently Head Coach of the Under 16 phase whilst Adi currently coaches within various age groups.

The two are committed to their coaching journeys thanks to the Professional Player to Coach Scheme (PPCS) – a joint programme between the Premier League, the PFA and the EFL designed to increase the number of Black, Asian and minority ethnic players who transition into coaching. 

The scheme itself, first introduced in 2020, provides coaches with a bursary and 23-month work placement at a Premier League or Category One club. Whilst Eric has completed the course, Adi is a year in whilst still playing semi-professional football and is involved with the Tanzanian international set up.  

The aim is that coaches achieve sustainable coaching roles post-placement. In becoming role models, they can inspire a new generation to also become coaches within the professional game.

Leicester are a club with a rich history of promoting young talent. The new training ground is a far superior site to what Eric and Adi both experienced yet the people in the building back then still remain now with the same ambition -  to give the youth the best opportunity to succeed. Eric and Adi are now also committed to that mission.

VERSUS sat down with both Eric and Adi to talk about their journey through coaching, what it means to them and why the two of them being involved in coaching has the ability to make a big difference.

What does it mean to you for the Premier League, EFL and the PFA to put such a scheme together?

Eric: They have taken the first step in taking action. I advocate for the change. I am a couple years off the scheme now but the Premier League are still receptive to my call till today. 

The most important thing is providing an opportunity for people to have a chance within this space. One that hasn’t always had people like us within them.

‍When you think back to your own experiences of playing football, how different do you think your journey or experiences would have been if you had more coaches like yourself around?

Eric: I think it’s about providing opportunities ultimately. I had great coaches growing up but I never ever had a black coach. Maybe once as a stand in and that was it, probably why I can remember so vividly because it was so rare.

The coaches I had were super helpful for me. I think I would have maybe had more black coaches should they have had the opportunity. And this is why this scheme is important . It gives people the opportunity to do these things. My experience may have been different. But at least I would have had the opportunity to know that a scheme like this had existed back then.

Adi: When you say coaches like us, I instantly think of the personality and not just race. Myself and Eric are good people who want to help these young players. We both had great people who coached us. We want to be the same to this new crop of players. 

‍What do you want to go on and achieve within your coaching journey?

Adi: I always dream big and I want to be the best at what I do. Similar to my career, I believe it will happen if I work. So for me, I want to keep learning and the rest will take care of itself from there. The rest is with Allah.

Eric: I am currently U16 lead coach and my aim is to be the best in that role. I have done better thinking like that during my career. Mastering where I am so hopefully that will put me in good stead. 

‍If you could tell your younger self anything, now being in the position that you are in. What would you say?

Eric: Have an openness to learn and new ideas. That is a massive part of what I try to teach the young players. It stems from my own journey in all honesty. An openness to go abroad. An openness to learn from others. In hindsight, it's great because you remember these experiences. I would tell myself that if I was younger.

Adi: Simple for me. It is possible. Genuinely believe that it is possible. It will happen. I would also say make sure you do everything to make sure it could happen. My career took off at 24 when I started giving everything to football. Everything to my faith in Islam. It paid off. The hard work paid off, the self-belief paid off. Sacrifices are worth it in the long run.

VERSUS: What does being a coach mean to you?

‍Eric: Purely helping young people in something that I have experience in. Sharing my knowledge with someone who may be at the beginning of their journey whilst I am at the other end of that same journey.

‍Adi: From a selfish point of view, I enjoy helping people. That’s just me. I have my own charity. I now have coaching. Giving back means a lot. Growing up and coming from an African and Muslim background, you had to work three times harder. I never saw a black coach back then. So being in such a position that enables me to give back is a place of privilege. I am able to be what I probably needed at a young age.

‍You are both currently coaching at Leicester. What makes this set up and the teams you are coaching so special?

Eric: It’s not just about giving back to the players for me. It’s about giving back to the club. The same people who gave me my opportunity back then are still in the building. The likes of Jon Rudkin, and Dale Bradshaw. It’s nice to still work with them 20 years after me being here.

The young players are in the position I was in. I have felt what they have felt. It enables me to help and guide them.

Adi: Those same people helped me too. Paul Cheney, Chris Tucker and more. They helped me so much. They made me feel comfortable and enabled me to have a career. So for me to do that to another Adi Yussuf is something I look forward to. The biggest thing for me is giving people from my background self-belief. I have come from poverty. I have come from growing up with three bunk-beds in one room yet I made it as a professional footballer. It’s all about belief, My belief started here in this academy, now I want to pay that back.

‍Many deem coaches to be people who are much older. In coaching terms, you are both young. Have you seen that as a benefit when coaching these age groups?

Eric: In my head and in my features, I am younger than them which helps! There are small things like language and interest points that enable you to be more relatable. That is not the most important thing but to those who it matters to, it’s super important. It enables you to speak beyond football which is important for relationship building. 

Adi: Me being young means that the relationships I have built with them means I can be real with them. Many things they experience, I can see through and challenge if needed. For example, if a player comes in tired and says they got enough sleep, I can relate due to my playing experience and age and tell them that they need to do more. As I am still playing, It’s a living example of what they need to do.

‍Eric, your playing career has seen you travel the world to play the beautiful game. How have those experiences played a part in your coaching today?

Eric: I saw so much and experienced different cultures. No matter where I went, football was the same. How you conduct yourself may have changed, but football was the same. In any different country I went to, the principles remained the same. People wanted passion and wanted to enjoy football. Those themes are at the forefront of how I coach today. 

‍Adi, you have a unique situation in which not only are you still playing football, you are also a Tanzania international. How does your playing career aid your coaching?

Adi: From the sideline, there is only so much you can take in, but as I get involved [in the training sessions] I get to see it close up.

It’s been super beneficial. The nature of my career means I have met so many different people from different backgrounds and have an ability to connect to them but also adapt. Playing football currently means I still feel the game. I don’t just see it as a coach, I feel it as a player. It’s super different to how others may feel. I also see more being in the mix of things. 

Eric: Having Adi in the setup is like having a gladiator in the ring. He is alive and roaring to go. He is a live proxy. There is stuff he is doing in his playing career that we can show the young players here and get them bought into. He often joins in training sessions. Young players need to learn the importance of communication so there are times he is an example of that, that they thrive off. 

‍How have you benefited from being on the Professional Player to Coach Scheme?

Eric: Each and every single experience has been valuable. I completed my placement at Coventry City who did a lot for me. They gave me opportunities to lead U18-12 phases. Then at Leicester City, where I was assistant coach for the U18s and I am now Head Coach for the U16 phase having completed the Professional Player to Coach Scheme.

I would say the situations the Scheme put me in, the rooms it put me in and the people it put me in front of. Before the scheme, I had never done an interview before and going through such experiences as an adult makes you realise how much of a travesty it is that it such key skills are only coming so later on in life. It enabled me to shine light on a few blind spots I developed.

Adi: I was the same in many senses. I had no experience before this scheme. Everything I have had within the last year has been new to me. It has been a real learning experience.

I’d never had been in an office. Hardly used a laptop for work. Most things were taken care of by people around me. I had never presented on PowerPoint. Again another skill I never had to engage with as I was playing football. The courses and the scheme enabled me to gain qualification but also develop soft skills.

From the start of the course to now, I have grown in confidence. The progression is clear to see. Having Eric is super helpful too as someone who knows me and is able to explain the importance of the role but also insider knowledge he has gained.