🎙 Episode 363 – Jake Lister | Designing a Coaching Curriculum That Actually Works

In this episode, Coach Yas sits down with Jake Lister, Youth Pathway Lead at Sheffield United Women's Academy, to unpack the realities of curriculum design in elite football environments.

Jake shares how he moved beyond traditional linear curriculum models to co-creating a living, breathing framework that evolves with players, coaches, and the demands of the game. Drawing on real-world examples and reflective practice, the conversation highlights how designing a curriculum isn’t about having all the answers—but asking the right questions.

💡 Key Talking Points

• Why building a coaching curriculum is more than a PDF document—it's about culture and collaboration.
• How Jake's experience in different club environments shaped his approach to curriculum design.
• The role of learning environments in fostering coach and player development.
• What it means to align coaching intentions with daily behaviours across all age phases.
• How clubs can bridge the gap between theory and practice in coach development.
• Lessons from designing “backwards”—starting with the end in mind and working in reverse.

🧠 “You’re not just creating a document—you’re curating a shared language that lives across your environment.” – Jake Lister

📣 Whether you’re refining a curriculum, building one from scratch, or just trying to better understand how to connect planning with practice—this episode will stretch your thinking on what good really looks like.

👉 Like, share, and follow if this episode sparked new ways of thinking!

💬 Join the conversation on LinkedIn—drop a comment and tag us with your biggest insight from Jake’s reflections. We’d love to hear how you’re approaching curriculum design in your own setting.

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