Welcome to ‘Dugout Diaries’, a content series 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.

Hale End graduate and former Birmingham and Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba is one of the latest players to enrol on the Professional Player to Coach Scheme (PPCS) – a joint programme between the PFA, the Premier League and the EFL designed to increase the number of Black, Asian and minority ethnic players who transition into coaching. 

The scheme, first introduced in 2020, provides six coaches per season with a 23-month intensive work placement at a Premier League or EFL club within the academy or first team-environment. Each coach works through a personal learning and development programme focusing on several key areas: physical performance and conditioning, recruitment, analysis, administration and coaching different age groups.

Fabrice was known for his energetic playing style and his infectious enthusiasm whilst on the pitch. That same energy is apparent in his coaching style and continues his journey in the game from the dugout. 

VERSUS sat down with Fabrice to talk about football’s ongoing efforts to ensure off-pitch representation matches on-pitch levels of diversity, why coaching has filled a void for him post his cardiac arrest and how Burnley is the right place for him to develop.

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"Schemes are important to give everyone access as roles are super competitive, but the main thing is for people not to be deterred by a lack of diversity."

Are there any coaches you look up to?

I mean you look at your Xabis (Alonso) and your Vinnies (Vincent Kompany). You look at the start of the season and you see the improvements made as time goes on. When given time, you can do amazing things.

I look at the current coaches and see that if you do things the right way and you are committed to learning, you never know what’s around the corner. I’m seeing that with Tom Cleverly, someone I played against.

How does the lack of diversity within coaching make you feel?

I completely get that there is a lack of diversity. What I look at is, not everyone can start at the top of the tree. And working for something is more beneficial in the long run.

In regards to former players, some have access to opportunities because they have had a decent career but that does not mean that they will make top coaches. Schemes are important to give everyone access as roles are super competitive, but the main thing is for people not to be deterred by a lack of diversity. Work hard and let the rest happen

What does it mean to have a Black manager in Vincent Kompany at Burnley?

I played against Vinnie. I know him as a player but also as a man. I know him as a father. The relationship we have is very different. Seeing him in this environment is super motivating. Seeing that he did it and did it the right way. 

It makes you want to emulate what he has done - he carries himself in such a graceful manner. This is someone who achieved everything in the game. Seeing him assemble the team of people he works with, who I know from my time playing too, is very inspiring. Not only is it a team with different people, it is a supporting team of nice people. They are all very good people regardless of their ethnicity. Vinnie is a great example of doing it right.

What do you want to go on and achieve in your coaching career?

I always want to be the best in whatever I do, so I want to be the best manager I can be. The place I am at right now, is about learning and adapting and adding to my toolkit to make me better. That is how I stay prepared should an opportunity present itself. 

I am ready, but for now, it's all about learning and improving myself. Football changes quickly so whilst I am working hard to be the best me, I am also enjoying the journey.

@MayowaQuadri_

VERSUS: What does being a coach mean to you?

Fabrice: I want to share my experiences. I want to be able to pass on my knowledge from my time as a player and communicate that to the talents of tomorrow.

As a father myself, I have seen my own kids grow up and learn about football. Some of the players here are of similar ages to them. For me, coaching is about trying to relate to them and trying to pass on as much as possible.

How much has your lived experience and upbringing played a part in the type of coach you are today?

So I never got much coaching growing up in Congo. I just played in the streets - that was my entry point into football. When I did come to England, I was in the academy around the age of 14, I was a late developer. Football was very different to me compared to the other 14-year-olds around me at that time. Back home in Congo, we played for fun. I kept that with me on my journey and it’s something I want to pass on my players now. The most important thing you can do in football is have fun. If it is not fun, it becomes uninteresting. 

Whatever happens in life is fine, but in this environment on the football pitch, you must be expressing yourself and enjoying yourself. You can make mistakes and things can go wrong, but maintain a smile on your face.

That is what has stayed with me and aided my coaching today.

Was coaching always something you always saw yourself doing?

I stopped playing back in 2012. I took a couple years out of the game and in that time, I did everything! I studied, I did media, I completed a degree. I did a lot. After a while, when I got to thinking, I concluded that coaching may be the next best thing to playing football. 

I started here and there, and then I got the bug for it. I started taking my badges from different football clubs and then this opportunity presented itself. Now, I feel like I just need to give it my all.

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

For me, I have benefited so much from senior coaches around me and being in this environment. In terms of coaching, I would liken myself to a newly qualified school teacher. I hope to learn more and be able to do more within the game. It all takes time and being open to learning.

I know the field is ruthless and I am not a ‘complete coach’ yet, but the programme helps with that - especially being around like-minded people on the same journey.

Regarding assignments, we always help each other with coaching ideas, arranging games and what is so great is, as former players we all speak the same language. The level of understanding makes the whole experience very wholesome.

What has your coaching journey been like up until this point?

I started by doing my Level 2 at Liverpool which allowed me to coach younger age groups. I then did my UEFA B at Manchester City - because of who I knew, they invited me to come in and do that. I then had a focus on my education so I did my degree before getting back into coaching. I spent a year with the under 15s and that’s when an opportunity to join Burnley in the summer arose, I interviewed, got the job and I've been here since.

I have been fortunate to learn and adapt by working with different players. The players at Manchester City or Liverpool are different from those at Bolton. Different environments come with different challenges but the principles are the same: how can I teach these young people to play ‘good’ football?

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