Coaches
Our caring team positively impacts children’s lives on and off the field through best-in-class coaching, communication and curriculum
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Updates
15 Sep 2023
27 Jul 2023
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Our Coaching Team
The British Football Academy Coaching Staff are certainly flying the flag for British football education here in Japan.
As a unit they are a committed team, united in bringing and sharing the very best coaching methodologies and practices to young footballers from all over the globe who are living in Japan.
Individually each and every one of them has a true ‘front-and-center’ passion for sharing their knowledge of football with the younger generations. Collectively they form a unique group of superb British sports educators with the background, experience and qualifications that any football academy in the world would be envious of.
The British Football Academy are extremely proud of the hard work, motivation, inspiration and impassioned approach our coaches bring to each and every session and we very much hope you get a chance to meet and have a chat with them, as they’d be delighted to meet and share a few moments with you.
Sid Lloyd
Founder/Senior Academy Coach
・British Football Academy – Senior Coach
・English FA Level 1 Qualified Coach
・English FA Level 2 Qualified Coach
・Holder of FA Certificates in Soccer Parenting & Registered FA ‘Soccer Star’ Coach
・British Football Club Tokyo – Manager / Captain (1994 – 2003)
・Pumas FC – Manager / Captain (2009~2014)
・Footy Japan Masters FC – Manager / Captain (2004~present)
・Tokyo Metropolis League Div 3 ‘Golden Boot’ season 2010/11
Sid Lloyd has committed his life to ensuring that the necessary infrastructures are in place to accommodate all who wish to play, learn or support amateur football in Japan. In his role as Managing Director of Footy Japan KK, he is devoted to the challenge of expanding the amateur, international football competition and education network in Japan and around the Asia-Pacific regions. A devout Liverpool FC supporter, the multi-faceted, multi-tasking Sid is as adept at coaching as he is at running a company. For a coach, having a sound knowledge of football’s fundamental skills and techniques is a given – how these are communicated and demonstrated to kids from 3-years old and up is where Sid excels as a coach and leads enthusiastically by example. Sid currently plays for King George FC, in the Tokyo Metropolis League’s 3rd Division – a league of semi-professional standard that he instituted and continues to organize. Sid, as a player, has also achieved some notable successes in professional small-sided tournaments in South East Asia. The most remarkable being an impressive victory against an opposition that included: Clive Walker (ex-Chelsea FC), John Barnes (ex-Liverpool FC/England), Gus Cesar (ex-Arsenal) and the iconic Ian Rush (ex-Liverpool FC/Wales). For Sid, football is not just a past-time, it’s a way of life.
Dave Callaghan
Head Coach
・British Football Academy – Coach
・English FA Level 1 Qualified Coach
・Holder of FA Certificates in Soccer Parenting & Registered FA ‘Soccer Star’ Coach
・Higher National Diploma – Sports Science
・Bachelor of Science – Sports Science
・Ex-Reading FC Youth Player
Magnanimous Dave Callaghan is a whirlwind of energy and probably one of the best-loved coaches at the Academy by the kids, and indeed some of their parents. His youth-team coaching in the UK, coupled with his professional and semi-professional football background – most notably with Reading FC’s prestigious Academy – have certainly stood him in good stead with the myriad of weekly coaching duties Dave undertakes. He has a particular affinity with the younger-aged players and can’t hide the paternal side of his gentle, yet highly audible and quintessentially British character. Dave’s sessions are always, without question, high-octane, clamorous occasions that make you wish you were a kid again – but from a professional point of view there is always a great deal of outstanding (coaching) method in what a lay-person may misinterpret as utter madness. There’s nothing Dave loves more than watching an attractive game of football, regardless of who’s playing it. He has been quoted as saying he loves Paul Scholes because: “He can’t tackle.” And loves Roy Keane because: “He can.” Take from that what you will!
Simon Sanders
Senior Academy/GK Coach
・British Football Academy – Coach
・English FA Level 1 Qualified Coach
・St. Martins Primary School – Head Coach
・Holder of FA Certificates in Soccer Parenting & Registered FA ‘Soccer Star’ Coach
・Bachelor of Arts – Politics & Philosophy
When asked who Simon’s favorite player was he answered: “Thierry Henry; because he has everything a player could ever want – speed, strength, composure, vision, great skill and he is an entertainer.” Simon’s analysis of Henry actually describes many of his own attributes as a coach at the British Football Academy. He’s quick to think on his feet when it comes to tweaking his pre-planned sessions to cater to unforeseen circumstances, has a strong and passionate will to share his love of football with younger generations, is as composed as any other coach in the Academy when the pressure’s on, has the vision to see how each of his sessions are linked and form a ‘total football program’ and possesses the skill as a coach to see each and every session through to positive fruition. Simon himself is also a great entertainer and during his sessions, as the kids play and learn about football, they do so with beaming smiles thanks to Simon.
Alexander CURLEY
Coach
・British Football Academy – Coach
・Tranmere Rovers/PRC – Coach
・BSc in Sports Coaching from University of Chester
・English FA Level 1 Qualified Coach
・English FA Level 2 Qualified Coach
Alex is a graduate of the British School Tokyo having studied there from 2010 ~ 2012. An Avid Arsenal fan, Alex is a footballer with a huge passion to coach the game he loves. After spending 15 months coaching School kids & local clubs in China, Alex returned to Tokyo where his parents still live so he could immerse himself in Japanese culture while continuing to coach football.
Dylan Ellis
Coach
・British Football Academy – Coach
・F.A. level １ coaching licence
・BSc in Sports Science & Coaching: (First Class Honours)
・Football Analysis in the Welsh Premier League
・Shrewsbury Town Youth Player
Dylan is a massive Arsenal fan. However, he’s from Wales originally – where he played and coached in the Welsh Leagues for 18 years for various clubs, including Welshpool Town and Guilsfield. He moved to Japan with his wife in January 2020 as they wanted to teach English in a country they are passionate about. Dylan missed being involved in football in some capacity so began coaching with BFA towards the end of 2020. He has a passion for coaching younger kids, providing a fun learning environment. He also has a strong desire to help older kids by developing their technical skills and helping them reach their full potential.
Abdoulie Cham (Chama)
Coach
・British Football Academy – Assistant Coach
・2008 ~ 2010 – Flemings FC Player (2nd Division, Gambia League)
・2010 ~ 2011 – Sports Director University of The Gambia Science Club
・2012 ~ 2014 – Kololi United FC Player (Gambia Regional league)
・2014 ~ 2015 – Kotu United Regional team coach
・2015 to 2016 – Kotu Youths Development Association Sports Director
From ‘The Gambia’ Chama is our newest assistant coach but he immediately became a big favourite with the kids.
A huge Liverpool fan, Chama’s favourite player is Sadio Mana from Senegal (Gambia’s neighbour). Chama himself is a very able striker who glides past players & scores a lot of goals.
Not only is Chama a big favourite of the kids at BFA but he has also helped us distribute football equipment we have donated to the kids in his home Gambia making him a very popular man.
Tiago Monteiro
Assistant Coach
・2019 ~ present: British Football Academy – Assistant Coach
・2019 ~ present: Tokyo Metropolis League – Referee
・2018-2019: Batuque F. C. U19 Assistant Coach. (Regional Champions that year)
・2016-2017: S.C Mindelense U19 Assistant Coach.
・2016-2017: M_EIA University Futsal Coach
・2012-2013: Left back at Batuque F. C.
Tiago comes from Mindelo on the island of Cape Verde off the West coast of Africa. He came to japan in 2019 to study for a Masters in Computer science. While in Japan, Tiago has continued his other passion, football. Along with playing in the Tokyo Metropolis League, he also referees matches for Footy japan and has been coaching for the British Football Academy for the past year and a half.
Mahamed Abdelrahim
Assistant Coach
2023 ~ Present: British Football Academy – Assistant Coach
2022 ~ Present: Lakeland University soccer team Founder/Captain.
2021 ~ Present: Cruel Palace FC Captain.
2020 ~ Present: Centre Back at Lions FC (Tokyo Metropolis League)
2020 ~ 2022: Tokyo University of Technology – Computer Science Diploma
2018 ~ 2022: Sendagaya Japanese Language College – Japanese Language Diploma
before returning to Sudan with his family. After finishing High school, he returned to Japan by himself, to study International Business, while at the same time continuing his biggest passion, football. His favorite team is Real Madrid and favorite player, Xavi. ‘I admire how he screens the whole field and how he thinks critically about his positioning and passing options’.
Toma Ochiai
Coach
・British Football Academy – Assistant Coach
・Tokyo Metropolis League – Operations Manager
・Konami Sports Club Nishinomiya Branch – Football Department Head
・Action Soccer Nishinomiya – League Organizer
・Senior Mens Westhants – Assistant Coach
・Senior Womens Wolfvegas – Assistant Coach
・Valley United SC, Mers Athletic Club, Canadian Academy Varsity Soccer – Player
Half-French, half-Japanese and full of passion, Toma is the organiser of the Tokyo Metropolis League and Footy Japan’s competitions department. He used to work as head of the football department for the Nishinomiya Konami Sports Club. There he coached and organised practices for football classes catering to a variety of age groups before coming to Tokyo.
Toma has coached preschoolers to adults in both Japan and abroad but one thing has remained constant throughout his years: getting all his players engaged and improving their mastery with the ball. This is why Toma’s practices gravitate towards exercises that emulate game-like experiences while incorporating a maximum amount of touches on the ball.
An advocate of positivity on the pitch, its no surprise that one of his strongest inspirations is Roanldinho, not for his aesthetic football ability but for his constant smile while playing.
Matthew Freeman
Assistant Coach
・British Football Academy – Assistant Coach
・YC&AC Football Club – Player
・Ex BFA member
