Bombs, blood, ambushes - football coaching with the army

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. Bombs, blood, ambushes - football coaching with the army Figure caption, Fear and trepidation - the military path to leadership skillsByDafydd PritchardBBC Sport WalesPublished4 hours agoThe rising sun bathes the rolling Herefordshire hillsides in a warm glow as birds gently chirp and sheep graze in the fields. But this rural idyll is shattered by the sound of explosions, followed by plumes of smoke and ear-splitting screams. Six camouflaged men rush to the scene to find a soldier howling for help as he clutches his bloodied leg, half of which appears to have been blown off.

Thankfully, the blood is fake and this is an actor - albeit a former soldier and amputee - and the first responders are a group of football coaches studying for their Uefa Pro Licence, the sport's highest coaching qualification. Former Arsenal midfielder and Wales captain Aaron Ramsey applies a tourniquet, while ex-Chelsea and Argentina goalkeeper Willy Caballero comforts the casualty. Also part of the group are Peterborough United boss Luke Williams and Michael Wilde, who manages Colwyn Bay in the Cymru Premier, thrown together for this intensive, two-day exercise with military-trained personnel.

The Details

The Football Association of Wales' (FAW) pro licence course has been described as the "Harvard of football coaching", and counts Mikel Arteta, Arsenal's Premier League-winning manager, among its graduates. By now, it is globally renowned, as illustrated by this latest batch of candidates. "The FAW have earned themselves an incredible reputation in the world of coach education," says Michael Bradley, the former United States and Roma midfielder who is now coaching New York Red Bulls.

"I've had great experiences with the FAW. I did my B Licence, my A Licence here, and now to have the opportunity to complete my Pro Licence, it's a big honour. "Image source, SportImage caption, Willy Caballero (left), Aaron Ramsey (second right) and Luke Williams (right) tend to a casualty as part of a course which counts Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta among its graduatesBradley has just been taking part in an ambush exercise, where he and his team are instructed to rescue a hostage in a forest and usher her to safety while fending off armed enemies.

Among the cohort of (paintball) gun-wielders in Bradley's team are Champions League-winning ex-Chelsea and France midfielder Florent Malouda and Wales international Will Vaulks. These fledgling coaches come from all sorts of backgrounds. Perhaps most impressively, another former US international, Ella Masar, is doing this course while 36 weeks pregnant.

What Experts Say

"I was giving the guys flak when they were carrying a 10-kilo bag on their backs. I'm like, 'Just switch it around to the front, and then you have a little bit of a day in the life'," she laughs. "These guys have been so incredible, accepting and being so helpful.

They all have wives and kids, and they've just really put a hand out. "That respect, especially with the status of some of these, has been so rewarding for me.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.