Jan 5, 2010 9:32:12 AM

Thirty NCAA football student-athletes who have expressed an interest in extending their influence to the sidelines have been selected for the 2010 NCAA Future Coaches Academy.

The academy will be January 10-12 in Orlando in conjunction with the annual American Football Coaches Association convention.

The Future Coaches Academy, the first of four programs in the NCAA's Coaching Academy series, targets individuals who have recently completed their collegiate eligibility and have a desire to enter the college football coaching profession.  

Participants, who were chosen by a committee of athletics administrators, AFCA members and former college coaches, will gain insight into academic issues, building successful football programs, career opportunities, communication techniques, diversity and inclusion, lifestyle balance, management and fiscal responsibilities, NCAA compliance considerations, and the preparation of student-athletes for overall academic and athletics achievement.

The NCAA also will host a reception during the three-day event celebrating the recent hires of the 2009-10 football hiring cycle. In addition, all NCAA football academy alumni have been invited to attend. About 150 football coaches have participated in the NCAA football coaching academies and forums since they began in 2004.

The NCAA Coaching Academy programs are designed to assist with career advancement, networking and exposure opportunities and to raise awareness regarding the pool of qualified coaching candidates. Although the programs focus on ethnic minorities due to their low numbers in the coaching ranks of all three NCAA divisions, the academies are open to all football coaches.  

In addition to the Future Coaches Academy, the NCAA also offers the Coaches Academy, which is aimed at coaches with three to eight years of experience, and the Expert Coaches Forum for coaches with eight or more years of experience. The top-tier program, the Champions Forum, directly links coaches with key athletics directors who offer more detailed insight into the hiring process, provide career guidance and serve as a "champion" for the coaches when head coaching positions become available.  

Of the 582 NCAA football programs (excluding historically black colleges and universities), 26 are guided by ethnic minorities, including 14 in the Football Bowl Subdivision, seven in the Football Championship Subdivision, two in Division II and three in Division III.   

For more information about the NCAA Coaches Academies and Forums, click here or contact Ira Childress, NCAA assistant director for diversity and inclusion, at ichildress@ncaa.org or 317/917-6222.

2010 NCAA Future Coaches Academy participants