Staff Spotlight: Aaron Graham

Meet Aaron Graham. Or as some people may know him as, Coach Aaron. Just one of a number of delivery staff within the local community for Club Doncaster Foundation. 

Aaron first started his journey with the Foundation, as a student with Club Doncaster Sports College, in 2017, spending two years completing the Active IQ Level 2 in Active Leisure, before successfully gaining an apprenticeship with the Foundation.

“I started at the Sports College after leaving school. I’ve always being a sporty person so when I saw the courses that the college were offering, I thought I’d look at it as an option. With it being based at a football club, that was a big factor for me, the professional environment and the opportunities it had to offer.” Aaron said.

The Sports College works with the Foundation’s community outreach delivery team in providing students the opportunity to take on volunteer hours, to gain valuable experience and skills which helps support the numerous courses on offer within the college. 

An option that Aaron jumped at, as he looked towards his future after college, spending time with the coaching team through evening sessions on the Premier League Kicks programme, along with refereeing and coaching as part of football tournaments and other events delivered throughout the year.

“It gave me the opportunity to volunteer my time, over a few months, to learn about the activities the Foundation deliver and to build on my own personal skills, as I looked to coaching as a career path upon completion of my college courses.”

Following the completion of his college qualification, Aaron started his apprenticeship in 2019, gaining an additional qualification as a Level 2 Teaching Assistant over the course of a year and learning on the job skills from other members of staff, before being offered a casual coach role after impressing other staff members.  

“After the first year of my apprenticeship, I moved to being a casual coach role, where I was leading and assisting on school sessions, before then moving to being a lead coach, something which I’ve being doing for over 3 years now and I love it.”

Aaron believes the Foundation has helped him both on a personal and professional level, throughout his time here, something he is grateful for.

“I’ve always been a sporty person, I’ve always been into my football and this gave me the opportunity to coach football, alongside different sports. 

“I also wanted to push myself too. I was never that confident in college or school and this was a way to build myself up and grow. 

“I get on with everyone and feel like I’ve been able to build relationships with schools, partners and staff members, which helps support me for the future.

“It makes me feel good when I’ve coached. In groups but even more so on a 1:1 level, where you can see that you’ve really helped support a participant. Seeing the progress at the start of the term where the skills aren’t always great and then over the course of the term, it’s nice to see that progression and its rewarding.”

He’s hoping the Foundation can help support him with his future aspirations within his coaching career too. 

“The Foundation has given me loads of opportunities, putting me through different qualifications. I’m currently doing my UEFA C coaching badge, alongside the Level 2 Scouting qualification. They always want to upskill their staff which is a big positive.

“I would love to progress and do my UEFA B coaching qualification and I’d love there to be some sort of role within the Foundation where I could help other apprentices progress, using my experience of being an apprentice myself. 

“There’s so many opportunities for me within the Foundation and I’m excited for what the future holds.”

Interested in finding out more about what the Foundation does within the local community? Or want to find out about the different pathways within the Foundation? Contact admin@clubdoncasterfoundation.co.uk for more information.