Exciting new appointment joins FCHU's coaching team
26th July, 2021
FC Humber United have announced that Jill Stacey has joined the coaching staff at the Toolstation NCEL Division One side.
In a statement, the club said that she would offer a vital support network to the management team, Mark Maspero and Marc Brown.
She explained what her role will be, saying: "I’ll be working alongside the two Marks as the first team coach. I’ll be responsible for designing and delivering technical and tactical practices that fit with the FC Humber United’s game model. I’ll feed my thoughts and opinions into Mark who has overall responsibility for team selections."
Outlining her background within football and coaching, she added: "I’ve been coaching for seventeen years, starting when I was just sixteen after sustaining an ACL injury that put me out of playing for eighteen months.
"I wanted to stay connected to the game and coaching felt like the right thing at the right time for me. I’ve worked in a variety of environments, having earned a living from working in football for the past ten years.
"I’ve gained experience from coaching on holiday camps to Premier League clubs' Performance Centres, alongside a successful five years coaching Northumbria University’s women’s teams and Newcastle United Women’s first team who play in the National League North for four seasons.
"My current role is technical director of York City FC Regional Talent Club - the Talent Pathway Programme for elite female players from eight to sixteen-year-olds.
"I have really high expectations of myself when it comes to planning and delivery. I’m a big believer in looking after the small details in every possible situation and this transfers across to the players I’m working with, no matter the standard.
"We want to work with players who want to learn and grow alongside the club. We know that there will be some tough tests during the season but we want resilient players who can think their way through games."
Over the years, football has been considered somewhat of a male dominant sport - however, over more recent years, the sport has grown into something much more.
The beautiful game has now become a love affair for all, and Jill shared her thoughts on female coaches in what has been considered a male orientated sport: "It doesn’t matter to me if a coach is male or female as long as they are capable of doing the job in hand.
"I’d love to see more female coaches gaining positions within mens set-ups at every level and I hope that by taking this role I can raise some awareness and challenge some perceptions and thinking on the subject."
On a final note, the club's most recent addition shared her thoughts on how the squad has reacted since starting training sessions: "The lads have been brilliant from the start, they have spoken to me and treated me the same as the other coaching staff and I wouldn’t expect anything different.
"For the two sessions that I have delivered so far, they have taken on board the objective and have worked really hard to try and achieve it, which is exactly what I’ve asked for.
"The boys seem keen to learn to ask questions and challenge me and each other appropriately.
"I’ve already had conversations with a few players about their own development and how they can continue to work on themselves away from training, which is excellent."
(Story Source: FC Humber United)
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