And the Crowd Goes Wild for Jay
10th Anniversary Graduate of the Month: May - Jay Jones
Jay is Football mad. In his own words, it’s ‘all he knows’.
He couldn’t contemplate doing any other profession and was lost when it came to choosing what to do next after school.
Alongside this, Jay struggled academically, self-declaring himself as a write-off for anything ‘artistic, musical or mathematical’, to name a few. He never even contemplated going to university.
It was only after his local club recommended he try an apprenticeship with Coach Core that he considered getting a qualification. After looking into the course, and realising that he could stay in the world of Football, he jumped at the opportunity.
It was obvious that this experience was perfect for Jay as he excelled through the course. He proved that he just needed to be in the right environment and given opportunities that complimented his skills.
'I think I always knew I would work in sport, I just didn't know in what capacity. Of course, when you're younger you think you're going to be the next professional footballer, but as you get older you realise there's all different types of jobs within sport. I'm fortunate enough to have one of those. To have that opportunity with Coach Core, to have that apprenticeship definitely allowed me to learn a lot and filled the bricks to get what I have now.'
So what makes Jay worthy of GOTM and where is he now?
Jay managed to bag himself a job at Woking Leisure Centre and has been working his way up through promotions (at the ripe age of 25!).
He’s showing passion and determination whilst coaching hard-to-reach groups such as ages 65+, people who have disabilities and serving some of the most deprived areas of Woking. He wants to show them that there are opportunities in the world of sports and demonstrate the benefits of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
One experience Jay is most proud of is leading a group of disadvantaged young people and refugees to Paris to take part in a football tournament. Not only did he help to organise discounted tickets, secure accomodation and gain sponsors, but he coached them to the finals where they placed second.
Coach Core’s work is all about reaching these communities and offering opportunities that aren’t available for some demographics. We’re so pleased to know that Jay is continuing to demonstrate our values and is supporting his community using sport.
Although he found the apprenticeship ‘hard at first’, Jay showed us just how intelligent and motivated he really is. We’re so glad that he found a love for coaching and can still play football every day, making his younger self proud.
"Coaching is all about enjoyment. If you don't enjoy coaching, then it's not the place to be in... It starts within yourself and your own enjoyment for it. You have to love it and put all your passion in to get the best out of it."
Whilst Jay has long-term plans to work his way up to a job within a football club one day, he’s extremely happy in his current role and wants to continue sharing his love of coaching wth others.
Jay was recently seen helping Coach Core with their very first Sports Day, coaching celebrities and well-known organisations. He showed professionalism and a great attitude during a very long day. He’s very worthy of being GOTM for May.
We wish Jay the best of luck on his journeys and hope he ‘scores big’ again soon.
Watch his story here: