Coaching in South East Asia – What to expect? Part 1

Taking a coaching role in a new country will always be exciting and an opportunity to add value to the CV moving forward, however prior to joining a new club/association there are a number of key areas to consider and information to know.

Understanding Culture Is Key

I cant reiterate how important it is in relation to your success as a coach on the pitch. You can have all the right ideas in terms of tactics, recruitment, training, however what you must realise is that over 70% of the team are actually domestic, therefore it is important you know how to engage and respect.

For example, in countries in South East Asia, it is advised you never single a player out and highlight mistakes in an aggressive manner in front of the rest of their team. The individual player loses face and others will see that. Take the player to one side and talk to him/her.

Greet players traditionally, whether it would be by shaking hands, bowing or in prayer type fashion ( Referred to Wai in Thailand). Try and learn the language, just basic words can be a huge ice breaker.

Finally, religion must be respected. In many of the Muslim countries (the Middle East and South East Asia for example) Ramadan occurs during the season or pre-season. Due to fasting during Ramadan, players are often too weak to perform training sessions during the day, therefore, sessions would need to be rescheduled to the evening after they have eaten and potentially nutrition plans made to fit.

Often communication will be done at least initially,  through a translator who will be alongside you during training sessions, team meetings/media interviews and during the game, to pass on your words to the team in their own language.

Key to remember that the translator will be your mouthpiece to the players, again, make sure you build a close respectful relationship. Personally, I know 2 Coaches who at the end of their tenure found out the playing staff weren’t exactly getting the messages they were supposed to!

What Will The Facilities Be Like

Facilities at times can be challenging but again coaches must adapt and overcome. Pitches may be sparse of grass and cones may be hard to find at times but luckily we have seen a vast improvement in partner club facilities over the past 5 years.

Majority of clubs are trying to become more professional in the way they are set up behind the scenes but it mainly comes down to management in charge and “change management of mindsets”

How Do Clubs Work in South East Asia

Within football, recruitment of players is key. Many Presidents of Football clubs do have a deciding role in relation to the recruitment of players, and this can become increasingly frustrating for coaches.

When discussing a role this would be a key point to raise prior to accepting. With the selection of foreign players often so important due to restrictions of 3+1 rule in most countries ( 3 Foreigners allowed in addition to 1 ASEAN player) it is imperative that the coach can have at least some input on recruitment of key starters within the team.

Don’t be surprised if your salary often arrives late. The most important thing is that it arrives and the majority of times it will but It may be a few days overdue.

Confrontation initially isn’t the answer, I would advise keeping a log of payment dates should a case need to be brought against the club moving forward.

Tips When Agreeing Your Contract in South East Asia

Having dealt with many contracts in Asia / Middle East there is always one clause that has a way of making it into the first draft supplied by the club, the dreaded,  “Performance Termination!” This clause is something that would never be allowed in any other industry so why should it within your pressure and intense coaches role.

An example of this clause seen in a contract is as follows:

“In case the Coach doesn’t meet with required performance as per reports by technical officials of team, the club has the right to terminate the contract at anytime. In this case, the coach is not entitled to claim any financial benefits from the advance agreement and monthly salaries from the remainder period of contract”

This clause basically gives the club the right to terminate the coaches contract at any time should the Technical Officials (often who have zero knowledge of football) deem the club has had a bad performance.

Huge red flag !! I have come across this clause many times and when engaging with clubs always discuss 2 possible alternative solutions on behalf of clients.

Never go blind into contract talks have them checked by experts who have experience of the Asian market, this is a service that Jobs4football  provide. Please follow this link Sevices

I would highly recommend any coach expanding their football knowledge and taking a challenge in South East Asia, however, know what you are undertaking before committing otherwise a fruitful opportunity could turn into a very quick wasted journey.

In part 2 I will discuss further contract advice within the region.

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About the Author

Nick has grown-up within the industry amassing over 18 years of experience. Nick possesses a wide range of trusted agent partners globally having been involved with bringing players such as Adnan Januzaj to English shores.

He has an unrivalled knowledge both on and off the field of football markets in Asia and the Gulf having placed a number of players and Coaches in those regions.

With a vast established global network of clubs/associations, this is a huge benefit to jobs4football candidates.