PFA Coach Educator Paul Davis shares his personal experiences regarding lack of opportunity for black, Asian and minority ethnic coaches.
Following a successful 17 years at Arsenal where he won seven major honours, Davis was appointed Youth Coach at the club, overseeing the likes of Ashley Cole and Fabrice Muamba.
Davis left the post after failing to progress his role and joined the PFA Coaching Department in 2003. He obtained his UEFA Pro Licence in 2006 which is the highest grade attainable.
Now as a coach educator Davis talks to players about pathways in the game and delivers UEFA B badge courses.
'During my seven years coaching, more senior positions did become vacant at the club but although I was ambitious and dedicated to developing my career in coaching, I was never offered the chance to apply and so further opportunities never materialised for me,’ said Davis. 'There was no process, somebody was all of a sudden in another position. It was really frustrating. I was overlooked three times.
‘Unqualified people were allowed to leapfrog. I did speak to David Dein, who tried to get the final decision altered, but I was very disillusioned and took myself out of the picture. I had a lot to offer.
'There is a lot of frustration among players. I feel it when I speak to them at training grounds and a lot of this stems from bad practice and unfairness with regard to recruitment of coaches at clubs, even in cases where a player has played for a number of years and has the qualifications. There is also a general feeling amongst players that there is the perception black players aren’t interested in becoming managers and coaches. That is not the case. Once people realise that the situation may change.'
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