VSK Academy is looking for coaches who want to contribute to a development environment where the person comes first and where learning, reflection and collaboration are at the centre of the work.

We are currently recruiting for the roles of P19 Head Coach and P19 Assistant Coach at Hitachi Energy Arena in Västerås.

If you want to help develop the players of tomorrow in an environment built on curiosity, community and responsibility, this is an opportunity for you.

Key Information

• Location: Hitachi Energy Arena, Västerås
• Department: VSK Academy
• Start date: 1 November 2026
• Employment type: Part-time, with the possibility of combining the role with other assignments within the academy, school environment or club
• Reports to: Head of Academy and Head of Development
• Application deadline: 28 August
• Application email: akademi@vskfotboll.nu

Available Roles

P19 – Head Coach

As Head Coach for P19, you will lead the overall development processes for our P19 team, both on and off the pitch. You will be responsible for the planning, delivery and follow-up of training sessions and matches, while also contributing to the continued development of our academy.

You will play a central role in preparing players for the transition to senior football and in helping shape the environment in which players, coaches and staff learn and develop together.

P19 – Assistant Coach

As Assistant Coach for the P19 team, you will support the development processes of both the team and individual players. You will work closely with the Head Coach in coaching, observation, planning, reflection and feedback with players and other staff.

You will actively contribute to creating training environments that are engaging, challenging and representative of the demands of the game, and you will be an important part of the academy’s daily coaching environment.

What we value

We place great importance on who you are as a person and as a coach. We are looking for people who want to contribute to an environment characterised by joy, community and responsibility.

We value coaches who are:

• Curious – You have a genuine desire to understand players, their perspectives and the environments that influence learning and performance. You ask questions, seek feedback, explore new ideas and see learning as a natural and continuous part of your own development journey.
• Open – You are willing to challenge your own assumptions, take in different perspectives and engage in genuine and well-intentioned conversations, especially when they are difficult or uncomfortable. You adapt your way of working to the people, culture and context around you, while actively collaborating with and learning from others.
• Humble but secure – You are comfortable not having all the answers and are committed to continuous reflection and development. This humility allows you to learn alongside players and colleagues, contribute meaningfully to their development and help create environments where everyone can grow.
• Committed – You invest in the people around you and actively contribute to our environment, culture and shared ways of working. You understand that individual and collective development are connected, and you take responsibility for both.

About VSK Academy

Västerås SK is a club shaped by its history and its context. Founded in 1904 by factory workers, the club has long represented the city, its people and a strong sense of community and identity. From the early years in Allsvenskan, through periods of adversity and movement between divisions, to the most recent return to the top level of Swedish football, VSK’s journey reflects resilience, adaptability and togetherness.

Our academy is a central part of that story. The purpose of the academy is to develop future football players for VSK’s senior teams and for other clubs in the region, while also contributing to the positive development of each individual on and off the pitch.

We are guided by three core values:

• Joy – Football should be engaging, meaningful and enjoyable. Learning is driven by curiosity, creativity and a genuine love of the game.
• Community – Development is a shared responsibility. We work to create an environment where people feel welcome, valued and supported, and where trust is built through our actions and our willingness to work hard for one another.
• Responsibility – People develop best when they take responsibility for their own development while also contributing to the development of others. We encourage everyone to act with intention and to understand their role within the club and in the wider community.

Our view of learning and player development

Our academy is built on the work of those who came before us. Previous Heads of Academy, coaches and players have laid the foundation for the programme we are today. That work continues with the support of our Club Director and Board, who have confirmed and strengthened our distinctive view of player development.

We are inspired by a constraints-led and non-linear approach to training and development, grounded in a simple belief: learning does not exist only within the individual, but emerges through the interaction between the player, other people and the surrounding environment. This is the foundation of our ecological approach to football and player development, where training tasks are designed so that players encounter game-like problems and are given opportunities for “repetition without repetition.”

This perspective shapes how we:

• design training environments,
• coach before, during and after training and matches,
• collaborate within the coaching staff and with other functions around the teams.

We see our journey as ongoing – built on shared effort, shared responsibility and a willingness to learn together.

Profile: Knowledge, skills and experience

We are looking for coaches who combine knowledge, practical coaching competence and a genuine commitment to continuous learning.

Knowledge

• Understanding of football as a dynamic and complex game that requires continuous adaptation rather than rigid control.
• Understanding that players are complex and dynamic people who should first be seen as people and only then as football players.
• Understanding of how culture and environment influence motivation, ownership and engagement, and of our role in helping create a love for all parts of football.
• Insight that player development happens when the ball is moving on the pitch – not in isolation from the game or only in the classroom.
• Familiarity with constraints-led, non-linear, player-centred and ecological approaches to training and player development.
• Meritorious if: Familiarity with modern frameworks for skill development, especially the Foundations of Task Design Model and Shaping Skilled Intentions.

Skills

• Ability to design training environments that are engaging, representative and appropriately complex – where learning emerges through doing rather than through being told.
• Ability to communicate in a way that supports players’ understanding, responsibility and interaction within the game – rather than conveying abstract ideas about the game.
• Ability to observe and adapt in real time based on what the environment and the players are showing you (what you notice, when you notice it and how you choose to act).
• Ability to contribute to and learn within a collaborative coaching environment that supports the development of both players and colleagues.
• Commitment to documentation that supports continuous reflection:
  reflect → document → reflect together on documented practice → develop practice.
• Meritorious if: Ability to collaborate across different areas of expertise (for example analysis, physical performance and sport science) in order to adapt the programme to the demands of the game.

Experience

• Experience of training and coaching in development, youth or senior environments.
• Relevant coaching qualifications (or ongoing coach education).
• Experience of working within a coaching team and contributing to or leading coach education initiatives.
• Ability to communicate effectively in English. Knowledge of Swedish is considered meritorious, or a willingness to develop Swedish.
• Meritorious if: Documented experience of working from constraints-led, non-linear, player-centred and ecological approaches to training and player development.
• Meritorious if: Experience of contributing to player development beyond daily football training (for example individual support, transitions between levels or talent identification), as well as an understanding of your own role in the player’s overall development process.

We value experience. But even more important is how you think, how you learn and how you contribute to the environment we create together.

What the role involves

The role is about contributing to, and taking responsibility for, the environment in which players and coaches learn, develop and grow together.

As a coach in VSK Academy, this means that you:

• see the person first and the player second,
• lead development processes connected to relevant teams and players, both on and off the pitch,
• plan, periodise and deliver training based on the demands of the game, the needs of the players and upcoming competitive situations,
• design training tasks that reflect the information, interactions and challenges players encounter in the football environment, and that at times amplify specific demands from the game in order to stimulate adaptation and learning,
• use constraints to encourage exploration, adaptation and the development of skills that are relevant to both individual and team needs.

You take into account:

• players’ individual development plans,
• the demands of the game, opponents and competition context,
• the total weekly training load, including physical development, recovery and match preparation.

You will also take part regularly in forums and meetings focused on the development of:

• our players, on and off the pitch (Stimulus Meetings),
• our coaching practice from both player and team perspectives (Reflect & Review),
• the academy’s development processes (academy meetings/council and Technical Heart).

The role includes close collaboration and communication with the first-team staff as well as coaches responsible for the transition between academy and senior football.

Application

Please submit the following:

• A brief overview (CV) of your coaching and work experience, your academic journey so far, and any other relevant experience (maximum 1 page).
• A video of approximately 90 seconds in which you explain:
  • who you are,
  • why you coach,
  • how you view player development and learning.

In the video, you are welcome to include relevant supporting material, for example:

• examples from your coaching practice,
• training design in practice,
• documentation of planning, reflection and evaluation.

We are interested in how your work as a coach has contributed to players’ development, but also in how you reflect on and develop your own practice.

If you move forward in the process you will be asked to:

• present examples of how your training environments and training sessions support learning over time and how that learning transfers to match situations, ideally supported by video material,
• describe how you view any differences between learning in the classroom and learning on the football pitch, and in connection with this explain what you believe players’ decision-making in the game should be based on.

Applications should be sent to akademi@vskfotboll.nu no later than 28 August.

We reserve the right to begin conversations and interviews before the application deadline.

We are not looking for finished coaches. We are looking for people who are curious, reflective, committed to development and who want to contribute to something bigger than themselves.