NEW DELHI: It is rare for a player with an ocean of English Premier League experience to make India their home, but Terry Phelan, now 57, has become one of those exceptions.
Arriving on the shores of Goa more than a decade ago, Phelan, with 103 club appearances for Manchester City, 25 for Chelsea, and 15 for Everton, has spent his time immersed in Indian culture and dedicating his labour to the country’s football.
Now serving as the technical director of I-League 2nd Division side South United FC, Phelan took time out of his busy schedule for an exclusive chat with TimesofIndia.com. Phelan explains the differences between the role of a sporting director in India and Europe, addresses the ongoing issue of age fraud in Indian football and many more.
From playing at Manchester City and Chelsea to Indian football, how has it happened?
After playing a lot of football in England, I decided to travel abroad, see other cultures, and see what the world’s like, obviously travelling abroad with teams and the Ireland national team. I ended up in America for a few years playing for the Charleston Battery and helping my business partner over there who was the Charleston Battery reserve team goalkeeper with his project. And that really catapulted me into the coaching ranks and giving more back to football.
Obviously, as a football player, we take a lot out of it, but I think giving back more to the community and that’s where I really got started, if I’m being really honest.
I think my first coaching job was a group of twelve-year-old girls way back in 2002. So it just tells you it’s a long time. And then obviously, I got an offer to go down to New Zealand in 2005, which I accepted as a head coach for a team in Otago.
And then, I just started developing myself, developing my mind in different ways and I really enjoyed it. So then I got a call around 2009. Would I be interested in a job in Goa with Sesa Football Academy as a chief mentor? And I went, “Yeah, I’d love that.”
I did a lot of studying on India beforehand. I just left New Zealand after six wonderful years, packed up and we landed in the little state of Goa.
It was fantastic for two years, went back to obviously the UK, and then came back in 2014. I got a call from Kerala Blasters. I accepted the offer to be the technical director for all the youth programs there. David James was the head coach, and Trevor Morgan was his assistant.
I came in 2015 and started working for the Kerala Blasters and have been here ever since. So I think it’s been around about twelve years all in all.
And now I am at the South United Football Club. I am there to help them with their structure of the football development side, which has been absolutely fantastic.
How does a sporting director work here in Indian football?
I am a sporting director, and it’s the link between the owners, the CEOs, stakeholders, the first team coach, the head of youth development, and the head of the academies. I think it’s also perfecting the link between the players and the parents (of the young players). Parents are paramount to what we are actually doing. It also includes making sure that the strategy is working.
Does a technical director go on the football field? Yes, they do. They like to go on the football field. Do you like to help out (the coaches)? But, at the end of the day, they can give their little ideas, but it’s up to the people in the roles really to make the ideas come to life.
Is the role of sporting director somewhat different from what we see abroad and in India?
There’s a big difference. If you’re looking at sporting directors and technical directors in Europe, some managers like them, some managers don’t like them. Some managers think they interfere too much. They’re the ones who get the signings. I don’t really do that. I don’t get involved too much with our first team. I leave that obviously to the owner if the owner wants any help, I may help him with that and the CEO.
But at the end of the day, it’s up to the head coach. I believe that’s up to the head coach to determine what type of players he wants.
In Europe, it’s really robust over there. They get involved a lot more in the decision-making, in the board meetings with big stakeholders. So, I think that’s the difference there.
Here it’s a little bit different. You are mostly involved with the coaching side of it, helping the coaches, helping the students, and talking to parents. Maybe in some clubs in India, it could be like in Europe, but I think at South United, we’re a little bit easier on the eye. (laughs)
Recently, Sandesh Jhingan was vocal about the age fraud in Indian football. What has been your assessment while working with the grassroots?
There’s been a lot of talk about that. I’ve been in India now for twelve years. I don’t think it (age-fraud) is right. We look at it as just about winning and not developing, is it about winning trophies and not developing the players at the younger age groups, or having the patience to do that? Some clubs haven’t got the patience to do that. They want to win trophies and put them in the trophy cabinet.
India is a big place. A lot of children probably haven’t got aadhar cards or birth certificates, so we wouldn’t know. It’s probably the same in Africa. I think in Europe, obviously, it’s a little bit different. It’s vastly different, everything has to be above board.
Age fraud is probably in a lot of places around the world. But if we can do the right thing and maybe cancel it out a little bit, it would be fair play all around because it doesn’t help the national side.
What South United are doing under your supervision and what are the club’s long-term ambitions?
The club’s long-term ambition is really to nurture. But it’s not just about football. It’s about if we look at the psychological corner. Children come to the South United Football Club for different reasons. Some come in because they’re curious. Some come in because their friends are there. Some come in because they want to be football players. Some come in for health and fitness, some come in for a bit of peer pressure. Some come in because they want to emulate their sporting heroes and that’s what they try to do. And that’s why we’re here.
We’re fostering the growth of students and hopefully bringing them from one step to the other step, from the toddler’s program to the junior development program to the youth development program to the elite teams and then obviously to the first team. That’s the big, that’s the vision and the vision of the club. Do we want to be in the ISL tomorrow? No, that’s a long-term vision. We’ll do it step by step.
