Remi Allen’s journey to coaching with England

My name is Remi Allen and I find myself in the unique position where I am currently a player with Birmingham City whilst also working with the England women’s under-23s as part of the England Elite Coach Programme.

So I am already looking into what happens when I stop playing and transitioning, so I have done a fair bit of coaching at under-16 and under-21 level and now I am excited to be working with the England WU23s.

My football journey began as soon as I could walk and would always be kicking a ball around. I don’t know where it came from, it was just something that I loved to do.

I received some rejection from boys’ sides initially because they didn’t want a girl to play with them but I persisted and ended up playing for a boys’ team.

Eventually, I joined Leicester City’s Centre of Excellence and earned my first England call-up at the age of 13 and went through the England pathway.

I played in three European Championships at under-19 level and a World Cup at under-20 level, even securing a gold medal in one of the EUROs, which I am really proud of.

I played for Leicester and Leeds in senior football before the Women’s Super League was formed and have been a part of that since.

I won’t bore you all with all the club’s I have played for because there are a few but I am proud to be in the top ten of all-time appearance-makers in the WSL and now I am back where I started at Birmingham City in the Championship, with the view of eventually transitioning into a coaching role.

My long-term goal is to manage at the highest level in the WSL. While international football intrigues me, my immediate focus is on earning my coaching credentials, possibly starting as a third or assistant coach, working with experienced professionals to hone my skills.

I would like to think I have a good understanding of the game because I have played at the top level for a long time but taking that from being a player and delivering it to players as a coach is another story, so the England Elite Coach Programme gives me the chance to get on the grass and learn from elite-level coaches and develop from them.

What I have learned from the England WU23s coaches already is unbelievable, so it is helping me develop on the grass as a coach and it is also helping me on the other side of coaching which you do not see, such as working as a team to put on sessions, coming up with tactical game plans and things like that.

When I was really young, I was fortunate enough to work with Rehanne Skinner and see firsthand  what she did to help me as a player, firstly, and the way she supported and guided me on my journey as a player. That is something which has always stuck with me from when I was young because I could see the impact a coach could have not only on the player tactically but also as a whole-rounded person.

She is definitely someone who has helped me and made me want to become that for someone else.