Italian football’s coaching ladder has long favoured those who arrive with a celebrated playing career behind them, but a new FIGC initiative offers a wider first step for anyone hoping to enter the profession. The change does not remove the barriers to the top of the game, yet it creates a free and open route towards the UEFA C licence, the entry-level qualification for youth football.
De Rossi’s question over who gets a chance
Daniele De Rossi reopened the discussion around coaching access around six weeks ago, using Ostiamare, the Serie C club he owns, as his example. The Genoa coach argued that a club owner should be able to appoint a talented person even if that individual had been working as a baker the previous day.
His point was deliberately provocative: if such an appointment went wrong, it would be his own club and his own money at risk. De Rossi has raised similar concerns for years, despite acknowledging that his position may appear at odds with people from his own background.
There is a clear contradiction within the present pathway. De Rossi was admitted to the Coverciano master’s course leading to the UEFA Pro Licence, required to coach in Serie A and Serie B, with his playing career carrying considerable weight in the entry rankings. In practical terms, a former World Cup winner can find the route to the highest coaching badge more accessible than a coach who has spent years working in Serie C or Serie D.
- The UEFA Pro Licence remains the qualification needed to manage in Serie A and Serie B.
- Past playing achievements contribute significantly to admission rankings for the Coverciano master’s programme.
- Andrea Chiappella, now Entella coach, represents a different route: a former bank employee and amateur player, he earned the UEFA Pro Licence with top marks after receiving a Serie B coaching opportunity.
A free preliminary course for the UEFA C pathway
The FIGC Technical Sector has now reshaped the route into grassroots coaching. A 38-hour online preliminary course has been made available free of charge on a dedicated platform, ahead of admission to regional UEFA C courses.
The material is open not only to prospective coaches but also to any football supporter who simply wants to deepen their understanding of the game. It covers the laws of the game, federal regulations, physical preparation, and introductory technical and tactical subjects.
Those wishing to continue towards a licence will be able to take a qualifying examination once the online programme has been completed. The result will determine admission to the regional UEFA C courses, which are scheduled to begin in January 2027 and will still require payment.
A different starting point, not an automatic route to the summit
The online lessons will count as part of the formal UEFA C programme. Candidates admitted to the regional courses will not repeat that work, allowing the subsequent teaching to focus more closely on the selected pathway.
Mario Beretta, president of the FIGC Technical Sector, said the new model has three purposes: to assist those seeking a coaching career, to provide free football education to people who do not necessarily want a qualification, and to offer more targeted teaching through non-duplicated lessons in each course.
- Anyone can access the 38 free hours of online learning.
- Passing the suitability test is required for consideration for regional UEFA C courses.
- Admission rankings will be based on the scores achieved in those tests.
- The regional UEFA C courses begin in January 2027 and remain paid courses.
This is not the unrestricted coaching passport imagined in De Rossi’s challenge. It does, however, make the first door easier to approach in a system that has more often been associated with narrowing entry points than opening them.
