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Meet your Coaches

With over 50 years of combined football coaching experience, you can rest assured that your child’s progress is in the right hands. Meet some of our senior kids football coaches who work very hard to make sure your child has a safe and enjoyable football experience.

Emmanuel Marshal

Head Coach

Nicknamed ‘Manny’, Emmanuel Marshal started his coaching journey at the age of 17. He played for Fulham FC Academy as a youth player and was later recruited by their coaching department.

Emmanuel went on to work with Samba Soccer Schools at the age of 18 and has since developed into a Head Coach. He is known for his vibrant energy and fun-like style of football coaching. He’s also a bit of a ‘baller’ but shh don't tell him that as it’ll get to his head.

When he’s not coaching, you’ll probably find him in the gym or praying for Fulham FC to get back in the Premier League.

Ethan Bond Vaughan

Head Coach

Ethan realised his passion for football coaching after completing a coaching course hosted by Samba Soccer Schools in 2017. After gaining his FA qualifications, he worked tremendously hard to climb the ladder going from support coach, to Head Coach and now appointed as Head of Recruitment at SSS.

He is popular for breaking down exercises and communicating with players in a clear way. One parent had this to say: ‘Ethan has the teacher-engaging-ability all teachers should have, but not all do have!’

Bravo Ethan, Bravo!

Haile Solomon

Head Coach

Coach Haile is one of the coolest guys you will meet in football coaching. Big claim right? But he has years of evidence to back this up!

Haile has been a Head Coach for Samba Soccer Schools for 5 years. He knows how to bring the fun to every class putting smiles on all his students the moment they arrive to his classes.

Outside of coaching, you’ll find Haile enjoying a 5-aside game with his mates or watching his beloved Borussia Dortmund FC.

Oh yeah, we also forgot to mention that Haile represents his home country, Eritrea for their national football tournaments! Now that's pretty cool!

Kym Gayle

Head Coach

Coach Kym began his coaching career after being inspired by a football coaching programme delivered by Samba Soccer Schools in 2018. He gained his FA qualifications whilst being mentored by senior coaches from Samba Soccer Schools. Fast forward a couple of years and his hard work paid off after being appointed Head Coach.

Kym has a very natural way of coaching. He doesn’t use an excessive tone but he communicates in an easily understandable manner. He has his own way of breaking down his classes so every student can go home with a feeling that they have learnt something new!

In his spare time he writes incessantly which probably explains why he’s just so good at communicating with his players.

Helaku El-bay

Head Coach

Originally from Leeds, Coach Helaku has been bringing his enthusiasm and energy to our classes since 2018. He’s also got plenty of tricks and skills in his locker which mesmerises the students under his supervision.

Helaku’s passion for coaching and ball mastery has helped him to become one of Samba Soccer’s most creative coaches. He has a football brain and he uses his creativity to refine his players skills and football intelligence.

You can catch Helaku’s classes in Southfields and Marylebone!

A Word from our Founder...

Hey,

I’m Nilio Bagga. Together with the help of my friends and family, I started Samba Soccer Schools back in 2009. Today, I serve as the company’s Managing Director, whilst a close-knit team of qualified coaches take care of the football side of things.

Having played semi-professionally in an overly structured and mechanical setting, I am aware of how easy it can be to drain the life out of the beautiful game. There was little room for personal expression or flair and everything had to be done by the book.

I didn’t enjoy this style of playing so I began to play more with my friends at school or on the streets. We would have music in the back and play with freedom and joy. This served as the inspiration for Samba Soccer Schools.

The aim was to take that same feel-good samba energy and introduce it to kids in a fun and friendly environment. I wanted to promote fun whilst instilling confidence in young players so that they could experience the happiness of football.

With that concept in mind, I earned my coaching badges, got my degree from the London School of Economics, and established Samba Soccer Schools.

Since then, we have helped thousands of children develop and showcase their skills, make new friends, and build confidence on and off the pitch. Every member of the Samba Soccer Schools team is committed to the project and truly enjoys what they do.

Samba Soccer Schools was born from my love of Brazilian football and culture. Everyone involved in the project has worked hard to get to where we are today. If your child has expressed an interest in football, we would love to offer a free session so you can get a feel for what we’re all about.

Thank you for visiting our website and we hope to see you soon!

Nilio Bagga

Founder and Managing Director

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