“That” question and many more asked and answered: Our Q&A with former Visakha FC coach Colum Curtis

Those of you who follow Cambodian football will know the name Colum Curtis. Khmer Nights sat down with the former Visakha FC coach to discuss what he is up to now and deal with the million-dollar question. Was he pushed or did he jump?

To read about the Cambodian Premier League click here.

Who is Colum Curtis?

Colum is an Irish footballer whose coaching journey was started during his career as a player. That journey would see him eventually landing one of the premier jobs in the theatre that is Cambodian fooball.

In November 2019 he was appointed the manager of big-spending Visakha FC. His first season in charge of the side saw the club manage a record high fourth finish as well as achieve its first major trophy snag as it won the Hun Sen Cup.

Flash forward to the 2021 season. Visakha is at top of the league as the seaon gets underway and still very much in the running for the cup, seemingly even headed for the double when suddenly?

Colum leaves under a cloud of mystery. 

Things went sideways for the club things after that. The club limped to a third place finish rather than the top spot expected. And while they still managed to repeat a cup win, many fans, myself included, saw it as a wasted season. It is with all this in mind that we sat down with Colum Curtis for his take on things.

To read about Visakha winning the 2021 Hun Sen Cup click here.

Tell us about your football background

I started coaching at the age of 17. I also played at a semi-professional level until the age of 25, representing my country, Northern Ireland right up to U18 level.  The highlight of my playing career was playing pn the UEFA Regions Cup squads in both 2013 and 2015.  

It was also here that I started to get my coaching licenses and get involved with my local club. I then spent some time in the USA before coaching in China for 3 years. I returned home to work with the Northern Ireland youth international teams.  

During my time I worked with some top coaches and several players who have progressed well over the past few seasons who have made Champions League, FA Cup, and senior international appearances for Northern Ireland. After a year at home, I packed my bags for Cambodia and began working with Svay Rieng. Throughout this time, I was working my way up the coach education pyramid. 

And your coaching career in Cambodia. How did that come about?

My wife was offered a teaching job here. I did some research on the league and football in the country as a whole. With my UEFA A Licence, I felt I could play my part in developing football here. I contacted fellow Irishman Conor Nestor, who was the manager at Svay Rieng. He gave me my initial opportunity. After completing an opposition analysis report and delivering a training session he offered me the role of Assistant Head Coach.  

Svay Rieng is a club that is always evolving. They have invested wisely in their playing squad, technical staff and medical department as well as in an impressive new training ground which I believe will take them from strength to strength. I had a great time working alongside Conor and am thankful for the opportunity to showcase my work.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t agree on a contract and it was time to move on.  Visakha FC contacted my agent within a few days and I started there almost immediately. 

In my first season, we won the club’s first major trophy and in the second season we were top of the league before my departure.  

Let’s address why you left Visakha FC. Did you jump or were you pushed?

I was relieved of my duties, unfortunately.  The technical director informed me the day after our 1-0 win against Nagaworld. It was disappointing as I had a strong bond with a great group of players that were familiar with my playing principles, training methods and expectations on and off the pitch.  

I think upon reflection that it was difficult for me to work within the footballing structure of the club. I disagreed with some of the club’s sporting policies. I found it counterproductive that there were players arriving at the club I had no idea we were signing. Equally so that there were players remaining on the club that were not up to the required standard in training yet made clear to me they had to stay. Credit to the club though in signing Marcus Haber and Thierry Chantha Bin who were key to our successes in 2021. However, . 

With this in mind, it became evident that 2021 would be my last season with the club regardless. It was disappointing that the staff and players weren’t rewarded with a league title.  I was extremely confident that we were on course to win it. 

I will forever be indebted to the bosses of Visakha FC for putting their faith in me at such a young age. It is something I will never forget. They are investing time and resources into Cambodian football.  They have a beautiful new stadium, with many extremely talented players from the youth through to the senior team. I hope they find the right people to run the footballing department and start competing not only at the national, but also the continental level because they have the players to do so.  

Would you ever go back to Visakha FC? 

It’s football.  Stranger things have happened. I had a great relationship with many people at the club from the owners, staff and players on through to the groundstaff and cleaners. 

Of course, with my UEFA Pro license under my belt, it wouldn’t make sense to go back and not oversee or work alongside someone forward-thinking to oversee the footballing department of a club in Cambodia.  Solely to be a Head Coach though? I don’t think it would work. 

What do you think of the new Cambodian Premier League?

It is too early to tell or judge. But they have a lot of work on their hands from an organizational standpoint, on referee education, coach education and many more things that I’m sure they are on the case with. It’s good to see them taking an interest in club facilities and pitches. It would be great in a year or two to have games at 6pm and 8pm once every team has floodlights.   

And what’s next for Colum Curtis?

I have founded my own coaching company in Cambodia, CJ Coaching. I am busy with that at the moment and enjoying it. We offer coaching to players from 3 years old through to 18 years old and are growing week by week. We currently conduct weekend classes at Northbridge International School.

I will look to bring one more coach from abroad this summer with the aim to expand to further venues throughout the city.  It is important to me that it grows organically with professional and fully qualified staff to ensure a fun learning environment for the players. I brought my former colleague Jay Wood to Cambodia to work alongside me. He has a degree in Sports Coaching, all FA Youth modules as well as a lot of experience leading teams of coaches as well as overseeing a variety of footballing programmes.   

With Jay here, it allows me to get back into the dugout when the right time comes. But I am in no rush. It looks like it could be around August at the moment before I could commit to a club. For the time being, my family and I are happy in Cambodia. It’s a beautiful country with amazing people. I’ve had some interest from teams here in Cambodia, Thailand, and Malaysia as well as a concrete offer in Indonesia a few weeks before my time at Viskaha ended.  Things happen fast in football so let’s see. 

The hero pays a return visit to a Prince Stadium to a warm welcome from fans

Following the interview, Khmer Nights were lucky enough to join Colum on his first trip back to the Prince Stadium as a civilian. The experience and his reception were amazing. Everyone from ticket sellers to fans and even the cleaning ladies gave him a warm embrace, the latter even tearing up.

And as for the match? Visakha managed to lose 2-1 at home in a match they should have won. Colum’s very simple take on the match was, “It wasn’t a pleasant game to watch. Both teams were poor, I think a draw would have been a fair result.  Visakha didn’t control the counter well enough from their own corner and paid the price.” 

To read more about watching football in Cambodia click here

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