Former Charlton Athletic boss Keith Boanas reflects on his tough but rewarding time as Head of Development/National Team coach in Estonia.
Well it’s been a while since I wrote anything for a Blog or interview but now is as good a time as any I guess…
My time in Estonia is coming to an end for certain this year, with my contract due to end on 30th November 2016, when I will return home to the most supportive and loyal wife any man could wish for and a house that I am looking forward to actually living in for longer than a few days.
It has been an amazing journey filled with frustration, massive challenges and battling against the odds: dealing with the lack of human resources and the cultural issues against women and girls playing football, far greater challenges than any I faced when being a major part of the growth in England in the nineties.
We have built the game in Estonia as best as we could, from under 500 participants in 2009 to heading toward 2000 now, with still so much more to do. I am grateful to all the staff and supporters who have believed and pushed with me.
In 2009, I think we had 2-3 qualified female coaches, in the last four years we have increased that to over 80 with one Pro Licence holder (soon to be two), another A Licence coach, around 16 B licence and the rest C licence or below. These are dedicated much more to the younger girls at grassroots level, encouraging them younger and younger. It was not unusual here for a player not to even touch a football before 15 years of age. Again, I thank the Estonian FA Coach Education Department for allowing my assistant Katrin Kaarna and I to develop these courses for female coaches.
We have ‘girls only’ summer camps and have run many ‘Girls Live Your Goals’ FIFA festivals and gone into schools promoting girls’ football with the help of our grassroots team.
We have a full national team programme in place with all age groups from senior now down to U15 and this year started U14 talent training in the regions.
Of course, gaining victories on the International stage is still a work in progress but the ideals and philosophies are that we learn from each and every experience and get better, albeit in small steps. Our players are still predominantly amateur with a handful now playing abroad for very small payments and having to work as well. Playing for the national teams here is, like in many smaller countries, a major pressure for many of the players. Schools and parents not necessarily supporting them to do so or making allowances for school tests and exams, for example, when they are needed for tournaments. They also encourage them to choose other sports or interests, as football is not for girls or they plan vacations that clash with training camps and competitions – simply not understanding the educational and health values of playing for your country.
Our senior players have to use all their vacation time and take unpaid leave to play instead of employers showing pride in the fact they have a national team player working for them – so many sad barriers as well as the normal player problems we face. It is amazing how having no competition for your place can create an apathetic approach but that is slowly changing as numbers increase. From having only one or maybe two players for each spot we now have the luxury of three or four, still just slightly less than Mark (Sampson) has at his disposal or Jill Ellis has at hers!
Despite the fact that almost every nation is now investing in the women’s game with support from UEFA and FIFA we have hung in there and tried to keep up. The base is now built and it is all about continually growing the game, long after I am gone. I hope that those passionate about doing so are supported by the Federation well into the future and I believe this will be the case.
From my own perspective, in terms of my own future, there is a degree of uncertainty. I sincerely hope I can at least get back involved in UK with Coach Education, as I believe the last 8 years has vastly added to my knowledge and experience. I would love to be back involved at club level and have had discussions and applied to clubs but it continues to seem that there is a reluctance to even discuss things when they read my CV.
On advice, I paid a tidy sum to have a professional CV produced but that seems to scare people even more. So many times I have heard a similar response to, “We feel you are perhaps more experienced and qualified than we require at this moment.“ Basically, saying they do not want to pay me a decent salary or simply cannot. But often they do so without even asking me what I would be prepared to accept, perhaps forgetting that when I started at Charlton it was part time, and when I was at Millwall it actually cost me money out of my own pocket.
Of course, in an ideal world I would like a realistic salary in line with my qualifications but I also realise this is still the way women’s football is financially.
Earlier this year, I spoke to the Millwall Lionesses and I would have taken a massive pay cut to take that role as it’s close to home and other reasons. But a rumour went around saying I asked for a six figure salary (100K to be exact)? This was a role where I could have taken on the whole programme but I can verify quite categorically that the figure was almost a quarter that amount.
In Estonia I have been salaried as befitting my experience and qualifications, plus the fact that I am away from my home and family. They have been absolutely respectful and I cannot thank them enough for the opportunities and positives I have been a part of. Achieving my Pro Licence, visiting and playing around the globe including in Russia, China, Canada and almost every European nation, attending FIFA and UEFA events including world cup and European finals, seminars and workshops. Being part of the global women’s football family is absolutely priceless and despite a few regrets and negatives the positives are far greater.
All that remains now is to see out the last few months as professionally as I can and look forward to the next chapter, whether that be in the women’s or men’s game remains to be seen, but it would be a travesty to allow all that I have gained in my coaching journey to go to waste. However if no one in my own country can find a use for it then maybe my next challenge will be another overseas assignment, only this time it will only be if my wonderful wife can travel with me. It has been too long living a long distance marriage, even though we have been strong throughout and are even stronger now .
To clarify, I am not begging for a job or even recognition, far from it. I know I will survive and move on. I just wanted to share some hard facts. I see coaches being successful with wonderful resources at their disposal in both areas of the game. It would be interesting to have switched places with a couple of them, to see how they would have coped. Saying that, on the women’s side, most of us have been through the mill when we all had nothing – so maybe they deserve their rewards right now.
Kind Regards,
Keith Boanas
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