Jobs4Football spoke to former Swindon Town defender,
Aaron Oakley, who is currently working as a foundation coach for his former club before flying out to Sweden in three weeks’ time to start his new position as women’s youth coach.
Oakley was part of the Swindon squad whilst Paolo Di Canio was at the helm in 2013. The 6-foot 7 centre back also represented Wales at under 18, 19 and 21’s level, whilst also having a spell playing in Sweden, and he will be heading back to Scandinavia in the coming weeks, but this time as a coach.
When discussing his reasoning for the move, Oakley said: “I came back last year from Sweden and found this full-time role at Swindon teaching the younger age groups. Since I have been back I have started my UEFA B license and now that it’s near completion I thought ‘what would be the next best step for me’ and that’s going back to the club I was at before, Pitea.”
Pitea IF women’s team currently compete in the top flight of Swedish football, and Oakley will be taking on the role as assistant manager for the team’s youth setup.
“I’m excited to get going, I’ve played and worked in Sweden before, so I have a good understanding of football in this country, but as well as that it’s another opportunity to push myself and I’m ready for the challenge.”
Oakley has already coached the women’s youth setup at Pitea back in 2020, and despite only being there a short time due to covid, he helped the team to a respectable 6th place in what was a very competitive league, which resulted in two players signing a contract with the first team shortly after.
“It’s a very professional environment in Sweden, in this new role there will be training four times a week, we fly to games, and the facilities are brilliant. I will be working under someone I used to play with whilst in Sweden and working in such a professional environment will only continue to help me develop as a coach.
“I’m still in the early stages of my coaching career and I know I’m taking a risk by going to another country and putting myself out there, but I believe in my abilities as a coach, and alongside what I have learnt playing at a good level, I feel I can really have an impact in coaching.
“I feel I am a good people person. Coaching is great but at the end of the day we are all humans and therefore you have to deal with people on a day-to-day basis, so being able to effectively communicate with players is a massive skill because if you can do this then players are more likely to buy into your ideas.”
The 27-year-old aims to get his UEFA A license in the next few years, and Oakley has big ambitions for what he would like to achieve in football in the future.
“At the moment as an assistant I just want to learn as much as possible, and then further down the line I want to go to the highest level, whether that’s men’s or women. In terms of longevity, I never quite made it in my playing career but coaching is something I’m passionate about and determined to make a long career out of.
“Coaching is difficult but it’s a challenge I’m really enjoying and embracing. Every game I watch now I look at the tactical side of it and analyse how certain players do certain things.
“People often ask me if I’ll ever consider playing again but to be honest I’m focussed on coaching and that is where I want to keep my focus.”
Whilst still being in the infancy stages of his coaching career, Oakley has already made progressive strides at such a young age, and we at Jobs4Football expect him to continue to make these strides in the future.
View Aaron's online profile -
Aaron Oakley
