STUART Watkiss insists Grimsby will always be home as he prepares to embark on his Indian adventure. As reported in yesterdays Telegraph, Grimsby Towns Head of Youth is leaving Blundell Park for a once in a lifetime opportunity. After a year back with the Mariners, the 48-year-old is heading to the Indian city of Pune to create a completely new I- League team from scratch. However, the man who was Town assistant and caretaker in his previous spell at the club admits that leaving his adopted home will be tough. Explaining his new role, Watkiss told the Telegraph: Officially, its manager of a new team thats going into the I-League in India, based in Pune. Its manager, but also to go and literally set everything up. The season starts in January, and as we speak, there is no training ground, no facilities, no equipment, no players – absolutely nothing. So its completely starting from a blank canvas and will be a bit chaotic to start with. All the other teams are back training and playing now, so undoubtedly the first season is going to be a challenge. But I can take some English staff out with me and I can take some English players as well, so Im not going to be totally isolated on my own. He continued: Its a great project, it came completely out of the blue and its a once in a lifetime opportunity. If I hadnt taken it I would always have wondered, for the rest of my life, what if? Its very different and obviously a different culture and way of living, but a super project to be involved with. The former defender may have been born in Wolverhampton and spent his playing days with the likes of Wolves and Walsall, but Grimsby has been his home for the best part of a decade. Ive lived here for about nine years, remarked Watkiss, who has been a first-team manager at Mansfield and Kidderminster Harriers, and Youth boss with the Stags and Barnsley. I came up in my previous spell and had three really good years, then three years over the river at Hull before I came back. Grimsbys my home now – Ive married a local lass and I would imagine that Grimsby will always be my home. The club is something Ive got a lot of time for, and a lot of feelings for. Ive had a great 12 months, and am really grateful that I had an opportunity to come back and work on the Youth side. Day to day, the apprentices have been super to work with – very receptive of all the ideas and plans we tried to implement. The staff at the academy are great and are some really good people, and there are also some really good coaches within the system. Then, there are the parents committee who raise money to keep the academy operating, along with the local businesses. He added: I just find the people of Grimsby really good people and really sincere people. I really enjoy living here and I am undoubtedly going to miss the place – its the first time Ive ever done anything like this. When I go over in a few days time, Im going to be away for seven months, and Im going to be away from my family for a fair period of time. Obviously, thats the negative, but the project just sells itself and Im really looking forward to it. I dont really know what to expect and it took me a little while to get my head around it. But the more you look into it, the more appealing it looks.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 19:04:36 +0000
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