Conal Murnin – Speaker at the 20th EFDN Conference
Conal Murnin, Project Officer at Chelsea FC Foundation, is a confirmed speaker at our 20th EFDN ‘Making Football Matter’ Conference in Athens from the 13th until the 15th of November 2023.
Conal is the Chelsea FC Foundation project lead on their Coaching and Development Degree, delivered in partnership with St Mary’s University. He studied Sport and Exercise Science at Loughborough University and has worked within a variety of roles across education, Academy football and community football programmes. Conal is a UEFA B Licensed coach, and also worked as a Coach Developer for England Football.
During the presentation, Conal will provide an overview of their degree programme, and discuss the nature of their partnership with St Mary’s University, including their strategy around widening participation and engaging underrepresented groups in the football industry. He will discuss in detail their work placement programme, where it is only the degree students who get exclusive access to the largest football club foundation in the world and associated academies, giving them real world, behind the scenes experiences and learning opportunities with Chelsea FC/Foundation, enhancing their opportunities to gain meaningful employment within the football industry.
Together with his colleague, Conal will also highlight the many added-value experiences students receive by being part of the Chelsea FC family (e.g. Academy visits and access to Stamford Bridge, industry expert speakers (including elite coaching staff), coaching qualifications) to support their development alongside their academic studies. Finally, they will outline the employment pathways available to students at Chelsea FC Foundation, detailing case studies of students who have moved on to work for Chelsea FC and a variety of other clubs and governing bodies.
