In Episode 82 of the Because Football Podcast, we welcome Nicholas De-Long, Head of Academy for North Somerset Sports Foundation, a full-time 16-19 football education programme, in addition to his role as Head of Football for North Somerset Regional Talent Centre, which serves - 1100 boys and girls from ages 7-16. Nicholas has had an adventurous career, spending decades as a physical education instructor and coach in the UK Royal Air Force, to working on National Team staffs in Rwanda and India, to coaching in the academy at Southampton FC and Bristol Rovers.

He has led a life that would be at home on a cinema screen or in a lively novel, serving in Afghanistan with the British Armed Forces, to coaching India in front of 40,000 fans at the AFC Asian Cup. During our chat, Nicholas shares what he has learned along the way, his passion and enthusiasm shining with each sentence.

We talk about the keys to leadership, how to connect with teams in multi-cultural environments, and why his current role, steering aspiring footballers towards education, is so valuable to him. Nicholas also walks us through the realities of “trying to make it” as a young footballer in the UK, the ups and the downs which he has experienced as a player and coach.

This is one of the liveliest conversations we’ve had on the Because Football Podcast - and Nicholas names arguably our grittiest, fiercest ever All-Time 5-a-Side Team!

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Connect with Nicholas here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-de-long-msc-5b671731/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/north-somerset-regional-talent-centre/

https://www.nsfootball.co.uk/

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⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/baggaleyandrew/⁠

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