It is with much delight that I am able to share the news of a mentee and member of the Swaggarlicious coaching team, Dilan Mistry, who has been offered a role at the Pro Direct Academy as a football coach.
I met Dilan in 2014 at an event in Leicester, where he originally resides. He was moving to London that year to begin his college programme where he also played for the Tottenham Develop Squad, which is when I began to work with Dilan as a mentor. I would ensure that Dilan is sign-posted to relevant experiences to allow him to network with others in the industry as well as gain the ‘hands on’ experience that he would need as a coach.
My role was simply to facilitate and enhance his growth – it is Dilan’s desire to be better and hunger to learn that has contributed to his development. I have found him to be open to ideas, he listens and takes advice on board; most importantly though – he voluntarily has taken experiences with open arms.
On the importance of having a mentor and support, Dilan said:
“Having a mentor I find is very helpful because of their past experiences throughout the industry, barriers they’ve overcome to get to where they currently are, it all gets passed down and the advice given is very helpful and helps myself feel confident in pursuing a career in football.
The coaching experiences I’ve had with Swaggarlicious have been so helpful, it has allowed to be more confident as a coach but also makes me feel confident within myself and own ability. I’ve learnt some different styles of coaching when coaching kids, also I have learnt in more depth what kids actually like and it is great to coach kids and watch them enjoy playing football which I feel is a important factor of coaching with Swaggarlicious.
I spoke to many people like year ago at the RYG event including Manisha. I had taken on their advice and it has definitely helped me develop as a coach – it inspired me to push myself and go further in the industry. Currently I am studying Sports Business and Coaching at UCFB Wembley – I am looking to carry on my coaching dream of coaching at the high levels of football”.
I look forward to continuing to support Dilan in his journey and wish him all the best working with Pro Direct Academy.
