BMF: Soccer Coaching License (price and complete guide)

The Football Coaching Certificate (BMF) is an essential diploma nowadays, as it allows you to train in planning and conducting training sessions from U6 to Seniors. It will also help you better understand the safety of your players and their development.

1. What is the Football Coaching Certificate (BMF)?
2. How does the Football Coaching Certificate (BMF) work?
3. What is the cost of the BMF?
4. What are the prerequisites for enrolling in the BMF?
5. How to obtain your Football Coaching Certificate?
6. What is the difference between the BEF and the BMF?
7. What salary can you earn with the Football Coaching Certificate (BMF)?

What is the Football Coaching Certificate (BMF)?

The football coaching certificate is the entry point into a young coach's career. It is through this diploma that you will be able to be paid for your services within a club. When you hold the BMF, you will then have the Regional Technical License level, which means you can claim an equivalence of type UEFA B.

Once you hold the BMF, you will be able to coach a team at the departmental level and participate more concretely in the club's project (whether educational, associative, or sporting). You will also be able to prepare your training sessions to optimize the reception of club members. Finally, you will have the opportunity to be proactive in your club's communication.

In practice, a coach holding a football coaching certificate (BMF) can coach a youth team at the regional level and/or a Senior team at the R3 level.

How does the Football Coaching Certificate (BMF) work?

Here is a summary diagram of how the BMF works:

Summary of the BMF content

The Football Coaching Certificate program is divided into 4 main modules (called Capitalizable Units), 2 complementary modules, and an internship within a soccer club. The 4 training modules plus the 2 complementary modules represent 179 hours of training, and the internship at least 346 hours.

The BMF training is distributed as follows:

1. Module 1: lasting 32 hours, this first module will allow you to plan, create, and conduct a training session for young players in the U6 to U11 category. One of the main objectives is to conduct this session safely for the entire group.
   1. Module 1.a: the first part of this BMF module involves organizing a training exercise for U6-U11, lasting 12 minutes, which will end with an evaluation by the trainers with possible questions about your approach.
   2. Module 1.b: the second part of this module will consist of an oral presentation in front of a panel of trainers about your club internship. You will present the situations you encountered during your practical experience, followed by a 20-minute Q&A session.
2. Module 2: lasting 32 hours, this second module involves training you to prepare and conduct a pre-training session for players from U12 to U15. Again, the safety of the young players will remain a key point.
   1. Module 2.a: in the first part of this module, you will prepare and conduct a U12-U15 training exercise. The exercise will last 12 minutes, followed by an interview with a panel (with questions about your exercise and the difficulties encountered).
   2. Module 2.b: just like module 1.a, this second part will consist of an oral presentation on your practical experience within the club.
3. Module 3: also lasting 32 hours, this third BMF module will allow you to imagine, plan, and conduct a soccer training session for U16 to Seniors.
   1. Module 3.a: the first part of this 3rd BMF module will involve conducting a training exercise for U16-Seniors, with no minimum duration (ideally around 15 minutes).
   2. Module 3.b: the last part of this module, once again, consists of a presentation in front of a panel.
4. Module 4: this last main BMF module will be slightly more theoretical, as it will involve producing a summary of a club project. You will need to present the vision of your project, obviously linked to your internship within a soccer club. This will be followed by a series of Q&A with BMF trainers.

Here is, as an example, a training exercise with high press and quick attacks on 2 small goals that you could use during the preparation for the Football Coaching Certificate. This exercise is ideal for working on offensive-defensive transition phases as well as team pressing.

High press and quick attacks on 2 small goals

To set up this exercise, define a zone of about 30x40m that you will then divide into two equal zones. Mark two 5m wide zones at each end as indicated in the diagram. Finally, place 2 small goals on each of the outer lines. Form 2 teams of 7 players each with 2 players from each team in the small outer zones.

The objective for the attacking team (the yellows in the diagram) is to make at least 5 passes before playing to one of the support players, who must lay it off in one-touch for a team player to score. It is therefore a 5v5 possession game with the goal of shooting on one of the mini-goals.

The defending team (the blues in the diagram) must recover the ball as quickly as possible to play to one of the support players. Once the player has been touched, all players switch to the other zone and a new possession starts.

After the 4 main BMF modules, you will then need to participate in 2 complementary modules:

1. Health and Safety: lasting 35 hours, you will need to be able to control the safety of the players and their surrounding environment.
2. Refereeing: with a duration of 16 hours, you will cover the main concepts of refereeing and work on the coach-referee relationship.

Finally, to validate your BMF, you will need to participate in a practical internship within your club. You will then have the opportunity to accompany a team throughout the season for a total of 346 hours.

This practical internship consists of:

• The planning, design, and conduct of training sessions for a team (from U6 to seniors) throughout the season with a minimum of 2 training sessions per week.
• The preparation of 15 training sessions, distributed as follows: 5 training sessions U9-U11, 5 training sessions U13-U15, 5 training sessions U16-Seniors

What is the cost of the BMF?

The cost of the BMF certificate is €1,894. This price represents the total cost for 179 hours of training as well as support for the practical internship.

The cost of the Football Coaching Certificate can be categorized as follows:

• €6/hour for the 179-hour training.
• €220 for registration and final certification
• €400 for support fees for the practical components of modules 1.b, 2.b, and 3.b
• €200 for support fees for the practical component of module 4.

It should also be noted that you will owe the sum of €50 if you are called for selection tests (regardless of the test results).

What is the duration of the BMF?

The duration of the BMF (football coaching certificate) is 179 hours of training and 346 hours of internship within a club certified by the Federation. This duration is obviously spread throughout the season.

What are the prerequisites for enrolling in the BMF?

The prerequisites for enrolling and participating in the BMF are as follows:

• Be at least 16 years old at the time of registration.
• Have a valid license for the current season with the French Football Federation.
• Possess the First Aid Training or the Civic Prevention and Rescue level 1 certificate.

How to obtain your Football Coaching Certificate?

You can obtain the BMF in three different ways, depending on your situation and goals:

1. 1. The initial training: this is the most common with about 82% of registrants.
2. 2. The BMF training through apprenticeship, which gathers nearly 10% of registrants each year.
3. 3. The VAE (Validation of Acquired Experience) training which brings together 8% of BMF candidates each season.

Once you have decided on how you wish to complete your BMF (initial course, apprenticeship, or VAE), you can then apply to join the training. The application is made through the FFF website or your regional league. Make sure you meet all the prerequisites mentioned above.

What is the difference between the BEF and the BMF?

The BMF (Football Coaching Certificate) is the first certification for coaches and allows you to coach a youth team at the regional level or a Senior team at the R3 level. The BEF (Football Coaching Diploma) is the next step and allows coaches to manage a regional level team (from U15 to Seniors).

The BMF is therefore a prerequisite for taking the BEF.

What salary can you earn with the Football Coaching Certificate (BMF)?

The average salary of football coaches holding the BMF is a few hundred euros (€100-€500), as the BMF represents the entry point for most coaches. Note that this represents the average salary, so it can vary greatly depending on the club in which they work and their ability to negotiate a favorable salary. Some coaches holding the BMF will not receive any remuneration, while others may expect several hundred euros per month.

You have therefore understood that the Football Coaching Certificate (BMF) is an important diploma in a coach's career. It will often be your first encounter with the training bodies of the French Football Federation and will allow you to practice your passion more serenely.