Becoming equipped with knowledge for life after her own playing career is not the only benefit to Zecira Musovic’s latest venture. The goalkeeper has gained a new perspective that she is already using to her advantage thanks to studying for the UEFA A Licence.
The Swedish international is currently working towards the coaching qualification as part of the first-ever all female cohort on the course.
She is one of 17 current and former players on the programme, and to be involved in such an environment, Musovic says, has been very empowering and powerful. It is a necessary thing to get more women involved in coaching, the 28-year-old believes.
It is now a few months into the 12-month course and there have been plenty of things our goalkeeper has already learned and been able to put to good use in her own game at Chelsea.
‘I already feel like I’ve got a new pair of glasses with a different perspective of the game,’ Musovic explained. ‘I’ve learned a lot that I can use now as a player and as a coach one day.
‘In the training sessions that we have at Chelsea, I can already see myself looking at things from a coaching perspective and how the coaches might have been thinking for the session.
‘Or it can be team selection, how the coach behaves, leadership style, different styles in different match situations. It is a lot of different things.
‘Before, I didn’t analyse opponents as much as I do now. I’m much more interested in how can we break the press, how do we press a team, how can we build in a certain way – it’s all these things I’m digging deeper into.’
It is not just in her own game that Musovic has been able to apply learnings. The Chelsea goalkeeping union has a new addition this season in Academy graduate Katie Cox.
The 18-year-old England youth international penned her first professional contact with the club this summer. Musovic hopes to be a source of guidance during their time working together.
‘I love working with Katie and having her around us,’ Musovic said. ‘I see a lot of similarities between her and myself when I was her age.
‘I’m extremely happy to work with her and I try my best to teach her everything that I can so she can continue to develop. She’s a really interesting player and a good asset to both our goalkeeper union and to Chelsea.
‘Both on and off the pitch, I think we have a responsibility for the next generation. Katie is one who I want to show the best version of myself to so she can pick things up from me and use them in her own career.
‘I know when I was her age I had role models that I learned from. I definitely want to take the responsibility for helping her and teaching her in any that I can.’
Musovic boasts an impressive CV in both football and away from the pitch.
Titles and trophies won in both England and her homeland of Sweden, an Olympic bronze medal, two third-place finishes at the World Cup, a Bachelors degree in economics, sports managements courses, psychology courses, and now the UEFA A licence… it is quite the list of accomplishments.
So, why does she do it? To prepare for the future and life after football is one reason, but a passion for bettering herself to be able to help others is what motivates her the most.
‘I don’t think there has been a month where I haven’t been studying something,’ Musovic jokes. ‘Off the pitch, I love to learn new stuff and I’m always actively doing that. That’s how I stimulate my brain.
‘If you had asked me two years ago if I wanted to be a coach, I definitely would have said no. But, now, I think it’s really cool how you can create a group and maximise each individual to create a team. It’s definitely something I’m curious about.
‘I do love working with people. Whatever I do after football, it will be something where I can work with people.
‘I’m really passionate about being able to help people reach their full potential. Like when we were talking about working with Katie, I’m really passionate about the next generation and how we can lift them up.
‘We have to try to pave the way for them so that when we are done with our playing careers, they can take the baton from us and go and do something even bigger and better.’