Richard Bate

Dick Bate heads the Cardiff City FC Youth Academy and is the former director of elite coaching for the English Football Association (FA). He has coached at Leeds United FC, Notts County FC, Lincoln City FC, and Hereford United FC. He has been the technical director at Watford FC. He is a technical adviser to FIFA, soccer’s world governing body. He was also the technical director of the Malaysian Football Association and the Canadian Soccer Association. Bate is a UEFA professional license holder, FA staff coach, AFC staff coach, UEFA “A” license holder, and England youth team coach. As an athlete he played for Sheffield Wednesday, York City, and Boston United football clubs and represented the British Colleges while a student. He has directed and conducted several UEFA Professional License courses and more than 40 UEFA “A” license courses and, together with S. Subramaniam, devised and instigated the Coach Education Programme throughout Asia for the Asian Football Confederation. He received the Lifetime Achievement Coaching Award from the English Football Association. Bate is in demand as a speaker and presenter. In a presentation to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America titled “Soccer 2020: The Future of the World’s Game,” Dick described how soccer has evolved into a game that rewards players who can master speed and agility skills under match pressure—one-touch passing and receiving, retaining and regaining possession, fakes and feints, and quick changes in direction.