Matt Hanrahan: How the Youth Council kickstarted my career
Matt Hanrahan: How the Youth Council kickstarted my career.
Former Norfolk FA Youth Council member Matt Hanrahan spoke to us about the impact joining the Youth Council has had on his career in football so far.
"Around 5 years ago I received an email from Norfolk FA recruiting for a new youth council. At the time I was wary of applying as I didn't think I was the right person for the role, but I was driven by my motivation to give back to, and improve, the game I loved so much as a player and referee.
I had no idea of the impact on my life that decision would have.
I joined the Norfolk FA Youth Council as Deputy Chair in 2016, and enjoyed two seasons with the group delivering events, influencing decisions, and representing youth voice on the Norfolk FA Council.
In the summer of 2018 I was selected to attend FA Leadership Academy, and the knowledge I gained and passion for making change in the sport accelerated my development rapidly - not to mention it was so much fun!
At this stage I left Norfolk for university in Loughborough, and since the journey that I started on in Norfolk has led to me being the Community Engagement Lead at Loughborough University, a coach in local youth teams including relaunching a Wildcats centre, and an FA National Youth Council Member (as Research and Insight Officer in 2019/20 and Senior Innovation Lead in 2020/21).
I can't wait to see what the upcoming season will have in store for me as I start a new chapter of my Youth Leadership journey.
My experiences as a Youth Leader in football have shaped me as an individual, I've made so many friends and a professional network; and the skills I have developed not only help me in sport, but also my daily life, and in my future career as an engineer. No matter what your end goals and aspirations are, or what stage of your development you are at, if you are passionate about changing football for the better you belong in Youth Leadership, and the future of football needs you!"
If you are interested in applying to let your voice be heard on the Norfolk FA Youth Council, we would welcome your application.
Please find below a link to the application form, and an anonymous Equality and Diversity monitoring form. Information around the role of the Youth Council is also attached below.
Please note that the closing date for applications is Monday 13th September 2021, with interviews taking place week commencing 20th September 2021.
If you are interested in finding out more information or looking to apply, please contact Football Development Officer Anna Larkins via email Anna.Larkins@NorfolkFA.com or call 01603 704050.