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Ian Gillan, Head Coach of Calicut FC
When technocrat V.K. Mathews started Calicut FC, the long-term plan was to bring about holistic development of football in Kozhikode and the ambition was to join the top-tier league of Indian football in the future.
Australian Ian Gillan, who has taken over as head coach of Calicut FC, shares a similar vision as Mathews, the founder-chairman of IBS Software. The club’s long-term plans for football development and ambition inspired him to accept the position.
After leading Lalitpur FC to the Nepal Super League title in 2023, Gillan was looking for a new challenge and when the offer came from Calicut FC, he did not have enough reasons to turn it down.
He said, “The level of professionalism at the club and their future goals were quite impressive. They had aspirations of playing in the ISL and I-League in the future. I wanted to be part of a club that was progressive. It had a long-term vision and its own development path and was backed by a successful corporate entity. Hopefully I can help the club grow and steer them in the right direction.”
Gillan, who has coached in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, said the Super League Kerala is a great concept for developing local talent who will get the experience of playing with foreign players.
“As a development model, Super League Kerala is very forward-thinking and can be replicated across the country. I feel the development of football in the states is essential for the Indian league to grow further. If some other clubs also follow this then football in the country will be in a good place.
“As far as the local talent is concerned, this is a good opportunity for them to gain invaluable experience by playing with foreigners. We have some good foreign players who are quite experienced and playing with them will help the young talents perform well,” the coach said.
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