Surrey FA are excited to announce that our Football Services Manager, Ashley Gumbrell, will be taking on a newly created role within the organisation as our Education and Workforce Manager. 

Ashley will now oversee the recruitment of FA Coach Mentors, FA Affiliate Tutors and Referee Tutors. Within the role he will manage Surrey FA’s relationship with FA Education and ensure that courses are delivered to the highest standards. As Education and Workforce Manager he will look to improve business and booking procedures and effectively manage the demand for courses within the county.  

Short-term objectives of the new role will be to oversee the creation of new working groups to assist Surrey FA staff in delivering on objectives in line with the FA National Game Strategy. Ashley will also provide support for the recruitment of a new Referee Development Officer following Tim Lawrence’s announcement that he shall retire in February 2020. 

Once in the new position he will actively seek opinions of all of those who have completed a Surrey FA coaching and/or refereeing course in recent seasons to determine where our strengths lie and where we can improve our offer in the future. 

On becoming our first ever Education and Workforce Manager Ashley commented, “I am delighted to be able to accept this new role and be able to support the delivery of coaching and refereeing across the county. As an FA Affiliate Tutor and a volunteer coach within grassroots football I have seen first-hand what a positive introduction to the game can have for coaches and referees, not to mention the lasting impact they can potentially have on others. 

My role will be to support changes to the way we deliver our education programmes and seek new ways of providing longer lasting help to coaches and referees once they have left a Surrey FA course. We will be seeking the views of former and current attendees throughout this process” 

Ashley will now be part of the Football Development team. On the move Football Development Manager, Mike Gilham, commented, “I am delighted to welcome Ashley to the team. His background in developing our workforce across the County will be a real asset to us as we strive to enhance our offer for coaches and referees. Educating and supporting the football workforce is a priority for grassroots football and for Surrey FA as we seek to provide the best environment to ensure football is for all.”  

With Ashley leaving the role, this creates a new vacancy for a Head of Governance and Discipline. Full information on the role and how to apply can be found here.