My ambition is to progress my coaching career as high as it will take me, says Will Graham

WILL GRAHAM says he is ready to take the plunge into a coaching job in senior football.



The 27-year-old, who lives in Canterbury, is currently coaching the youth section at Blue Square Bet (Conference) South club Dover Athletic and wants to enhance his coaching career.

Graham revealed he applied for the manager’s job at Ryman League Division One South Whitstable Town, but admitted he understand why they opted to appoint former Gillingham star Nicky Southall to turn things around at The Belmont after axing Justin Luchford.

He said: “Obviously really disappointed I didn’t get the job but I can understand with the likes of Nicky Southall applying for the job and his experience in the game it was a no brainer in regards of experience and management.

“I’ve done my qualifications. I’m a B Licenced coach. I’m doing my A Licence in June next year and I’ve got over ten years’ experience in coaching at all different abilities and levels in the game, so yes I’m disappointed not getting the job.

“But I can understand with my lack of experinece of coaching in the semi-professional game it’s a bit of a risk to take, especially in Whitstable’s position as it is at the moment.”

The former Ramsgate and Maidstone United player, is also a Level 2 goalkeeping licenced coach and FA Disabled Award Licenced coach.

He has previously worked for Arsenal, Soccer Elite FA and New York Red Bulls.

Graham added: “I tore my anterior cruciate ligament two years’ ago playnig for Ramsgate and I’ve been trying to get myself back as best I can really, but with a serious injury like that it’s difficult to get back.

“It’s the same injury that Michael Owen and Joe Cole done – it’s a year and a half injury – so with not playing I’ve turned my hand to my coaching a lot seriously now and I want to get back into the game at that sort of level if not higher and be invovled in the coaching side of things.

Graham says his coaching role with the kids’ at Dover Athletic is going well – but he wants a bigger challenge.

Graham said: “It’s going really well. We’re worknig with quite advanced kids but I’ve got the buzz now to progress myself even higher and hopefully try and get a management job.

“There’s some fantastic kids’ in the section at the moment to progress into the Academy and into the first team at some point.

“I’m really good friends with Nicky Forster at the club at the moment. He’s allowed me to get invovled with the first team as best he can.

“At the level at the moment I’m looking at any first team level and then maybe reserve team level, the higher the team is really.

“I can bring over five or six years’ experience playing at semi-pro level. I know the local football scene as good as anyone in the area, local players, semi-pro players, even professional players.  My contacts and knowledge is quite high.

“I have a good basis of knowledge with the youth section side of things, be able to progress the youth into local community clubs if needed.

“It’s my ambiton as a 27-year-old ex-player to progress my coaching career as high as it will take me.

“I’m wanting to do any badge that will improve me as a coach. I’ve done the youth section side of things for eight years’ now and I’m at the point getting older and I want to get involved in the semi-professional coaching side of things.

“I was offered a coaching job with Jim and Danny Ward at Sittingbourne in the summer and (Dover Athletic chairman) Jim Parmenter put a block on it because he wanted me to stay with Dover Athletic but at this time in my life now I want to be hitting my ambition instead of sitting in the youth section.

“I will still stay invovled with the youth section if a position came up.  Because the club is doing well it’s hard for me to come in and start jumping into the first team ship as it’s set up at the minute. I may need to find a club elsewhere that will take a chance on me really.

“Kent County League is probably the lowest I’d want to go.  Kent League would be an ideal start. I will even consider a reserve team level in the Kent League.  Ryman South, I’ll be looking for a coaching job there or a reserve team job and Ryman Premier, the same.

“I also want to mention the management team that I had in place with me are and still have in place – an A Licenced coach, Riccardo De Vivo, he’s currently Grays Athletic’s first team coach. He works wih me at Dover youth section so he’s keen to get a position with me and also Sam Pooley, who was Whitstable Town’s reserve manager two years’ back.”