With two transfer windows taking place in the year, many football clubs are buying new players whose English communication skills need some improvement. When players sign for a club outside their native country, they are immediately faced with a language barrier as they try to deal with media coverage, communications on (and off) the pitch and a new culture. In the short term, clubs provide translation services for players to deal with the media but this often doesn't extend to communication with teammates and managers.
CLT Ltd have been improving the English communication skills of Premier League footballers for the last 10 years. We started working with the First Team Support Manager at Manchester City FC in 2008. Clare contacted CLT as the club required foreign football players to improve their English communication skills on the pitch, in training sessions and during pre-match briefings at the Premier League Club. During that time many First Team players have improved their English skills including Pablo Zabaleta, David Silva and goalkeeper Willy Caballero. Since then we have worked with other Clubs including Stoke City FC, Bolton Wanderers FC and Nottingham Forest FC.
CLT Ltd design tailor-made fully flexible 'English for Football' programmes which include weekly sessions at the training ground during the season, following their football training, or at their home. All the training is pitched at the correct level for each individual. We also provide preparation for the Tier 2 UK VISA exam. As well as general English and communication skills for adapting to life in the UK, their lessons focus on football related vocabulary and preparation for press interviews. We have also taught the players' families general English to allow them to settle in the UK more easily.
At CLT Ltd we provide a free assessment of the players' current skills and we will design a "top-up" training programme of weekly or intensive sessions to get the players to the level required. We offer full flexibility in terms of what time/day the player prefers and, once the course starts, the delegate may change the time/day if this is required because of their training or match schedule. CLT Ltd work closely with the Player Support Team to select tutors according to the exact profile given by the delegate – eg ability to speak the native language of the delegate.
All our tutors sign Non-Disclosure Agreements, so the player can be assured that any details which the tutors come to know about them will remain highly confidential. Copies of the Non-Disclosure Agreements are available for the player at any time.