Former Arsenal trainee Taff Rahman

Published: 21 August, 2014
by STEVE BARNETT

YOU would be surprised by the calibre of the managers you will find standing on the touchlines in your local youth football leagues these days. 

Perhaps the best example is Taff Rahman, who puts the young players from Just Play Football Club through their paces every Saturday in the Camden and Regent’s Park Youth League. 

The 30-year-old, who lives in Hampstead, has acquired a curriculum vitae that any Premier League manager would be proud of, having recently become one of the few coaches in the country to earn his Uefa ‘A’ licence. 

This summer he was also part of a star-studded list of former professionals, including ex-England and Tottenham striker Les Ferdinand, who gained their “On Board” merit – a six-month corporate governance course funded by the Professional Footballers’ Association, in a bid to help make football’s boardrooms more diverse. 

Former professionals, back row from left, Leon Mann, Jamie Bunch, Iffy Onuora, Nathan Blake, Oshor Williams, Michael Johnson, Les Ferdinand and Chris Ramsey. Front row, from left, Marvin Robinson, Taff Rahman, Jason Roberts, Dave Regis, Dave Barnett and Darren Moore

And the former Arsenal trainee hasn’t finished yet, having just started a diploma in football management run by the League Managers Association. 

“My goal is to one day manage in the Premier League and work with players at the very highest level of the game,” said Taff, who now coaches within the youth ranks at Tottenham. 

“It might not seem realistic but it is possible. The footballing world is as much about who you know as what you know – so having had the chance to network and work with so many professionals within the game has been fantastic. 

“I’ve only just started the LMA course but already I’m amazed by what I’m learning,” he added. “It’s really insightful and teaches you how to survive in what is a brutal industry.” 

Taff believes that the youngsters he coaches from Camden and Islington will benefit from his long-term ambition to make it to the very top. “I’m passing on what I learn with my coaches at Just Play. By developing better coaches with a better understanding of the game, they will produce better players. In that sense we’re just one big footballing family.”