Head of Community Football

The Head of Community Football is a senior management role with strategic and operational responsibility for Blackburn Rovers

Community Trust’s community football portfolio. The post holder will provide visible leadership across football development, participation and player pathway programmes, ensuring provision is high quality, inclusive, financially sustainable and aligned to BRCT’s charitable objectives and wider organisational strategy.

As the organisation’s senior lead for community football, the post holder will shape and implement the Community Football strategy; lead and develop the football workforce; hold accountability for budgets, income, performance, quality and risk; and build influential relationships with Blackburn Rovers FC, governing bodies, funders, grassroots clubs, schools, facilities and community partners.

The portfolio will include, but is not limited to, ‘Rovers Play’ (holiday camps, development centres, Women and Girls), Emerging Talent Centre (ETC), provision for underrepresented groups such as South Asian heritage and other community participation programmes, alongside strategic oversight and quality assurance of football delivered through programmes such as Premier League Kicks. The role will ensure clear, inclusive progression opportunities exist from first engagement through to sustained participation and appropriate talent pathways.

Strategic Leadership and Management

• Lead the development, implementation and continuous review of BRCT’s Community Football strategy, translating organisational priorities into clear annual plans, objectives and measurable outcomes.
• Act as BRCT’s senior lead and subject-matter expert for community football, providing advice and recommendations to the Executive, Senior Leadership Teams and contributing to wider organisational planning and decision-making.

• Lead service planning, workforce planning and resource allocation, balancing quality, impact, participation, income generation and value for money.
• Identify emerging opportunities, risks and trends within community and grassroots football and ensure BRCT responds proactively.
• Represent Community Football at internal senior management meetings and provide clear, evidence-based updates on performance, risks, opportunities and priorities. Programme Leadership, Quality and Pathways
• Provide strategic and operational oversight of all community-focused football programmes, ensuring consistently high standards across delivery, venues, participant experience and safeguarding.
• Own the football coaching philosophy and curriculum across relevant programmes, ensuring age-appropriate, inclusive and participant-centred practice.
• Create clear pathways across BRCT’s football offer, from introductory community participation through to development and talent opportunities, with appropriate links into grassroots and wider football structures.
• Lead quality assurance through observations, audits, participant feedback, performance reviews and improvement plans.
• Maintain sufficient visibility within delivery to understand participant and staff experience, while ensuring day-to-day coordination is appropriately delegated.

  People Leadership and Workforce Development

• Provide effective line management, leadership and direction to Community Football staff, setting clear expectations, objectives and standards of performance.
• Lead recruitment, induction, deployment, retention, supervision and performance management across the football workforce, including permanent, part-time and casual staff.
• Create and implement a workforce development and CPD plan that strengthens coaching quality, leadership capacity and succession planning.
• Develop a positive, accountable and inclusive team culture in which staff are supported to perform, develop and take ownership.
• Ensure appropriate staffing structures and rotas are in place to meet programme needs safely and efficiently.

  Financial Management, Income and Business Development

• Hold delegated responsibility for Community Football budgets, ensuring robust forecasting, monitoring, financial controls and value for money.
• Develop annual income and expenditure plans and take corrective action where performance is outside agreed tolerances.
• Lead the development of sustainable earned-income opportunities across football programmes while protecting accessibility and charitable benefit.
• Identify and develop funding, sponsorship and partnership opportunities and contribute to high-quality bids, proposals and business cases.

• Build and maintain strategic relationships with Blackburn Rovers

  FC, the Premier League Foundation, EFL in the Community, The FA, Lancashire FA, local authorities, schools, grassroots clubs, leagues, facilities and other key stakeholders.

• Represent BRCT professionally at senior external meetings, networks, events and working groups, advocating for the

  Community Trust and identifying opportunities for collaboration.

• Develop partnerships that increase participation, improve pathways, extend reach into underrepresented communities and strengthen the local football ecosystem. Performance, Impact and Governance
• Set and monitor annual targets and KPIs across the Community Football portfolio and ensure performance is reviewed regularly with appropriate action plans.
• Ensure high-quality data, registers, monitoring information, evaluation and case studies are maintained in line with funder and organisational requirements.
• Use insight, participant feedback, financial information and performance data to drive continuous improvement and evidence impact.
• Provide accurate and timely reports for senior leaders, funders, partners and, where required, Trustees.
• Ensure contractual and funding requirements are understood and delivered, with risks or underperformance escalated promptly. Safeguarding, Risk and Compliance
• Provide leadership that ensures safeguarding, health and safety, equality, diversity and inclusion are embedded throughout Community Football provision.
• Ensure programme risk assessments, operating procedures, incident reporting and venue arrangements are appropriate, current and consistently applied in addition to effectively recognise and record safeguarding concerns in a timely manner.
• Work closely with BRCT’s safeguarding leads and relevant colleagues to ensure concerns are managed and escalated in accordance with policy.
• Ensure staff maintain required qualifications, checks and professional standards and that provision complies with governingbody and funder requirements.

  General Senior Management Responsibilities

• Contribute actively to cross-organisational priorities and work collaboratively with other service leads and senior managers to maximise BRCT’s collective impact.
• Champion BRCT’s values and model professional, accountable and inclusive leadership at all times.
• Act as an ambassador for Blackburn Rovers Community Trust and Blackburn Rovers FC, protecting and enhancing the reputation of both organisations.
• Attend relevant meetings, training, fixtures, matchdays and events, including evening and weekend commitments where required.
• Undertake other duties commensurate with the seniority and nature of the role.