Let’s be honest. Speaking from a rather generic perspective, it’s not too often that we take a moment to appreciate the efforts of those who have laid the groundwork for grassroots football. Despite not nearly enough coverage or prevalence in the English football scene, grassroots coaches throughout London continue to breed some of the finest English talent that we now see on the professional stage. On this occasion, we take a look at a rather young grassroots pioneer who’s tireless efforts had already seen him successfully coach three accomplished teams – all by the tender age of 18. The Voice of Grassroots Football: Grassroots Pioneers features Tower Hamlets-based Burdett FC coach: Simon Iyamore.
After making the decision to leave football college in October 2018, Iyamore later found his calling as a PE apprentice at Stebon Primary School in East London. Unpredictably, this role would later prove pivotal in his football journey. Despite initially being instructed to watch and learn from his superiors, Iyamore quickly mastered his role with relative composure and ease. On top of individually running the school’s after-school club (mainly for football and other sport-related activities), Iyamore was granted full trust and authorisation to teach half the entire physical education curriculum to his students - a mere three months into his job. Without a doubt, it’s safe to assume he was highly favoured by members of staff and students, as he was swiftly offered a full-time position by the school to be served at the conclusion of his apprenticeship scheme.
Despite a promising breakthrough within his job, it was only during the summer of 2019 that Iyamore was to begin his stint as a coach at Burdett FC. After being urged by a group of his students to attend their weekend matches played on Stebon’s school grounds; Iyamore quickly observed the club’s coaching, facilities and overall structure to not be up to standard in comparison to other teams within the borough. Ultimately, it was clear to Iyamore that the children he’d built a such strong rapport with at his placement school deserved way more than what they were previously receiving. So, with the students’ development in mind, the then-18-year-old made the decision to step in and take over as voluntary head coach of Burdett FC’s U11s team.
A new footballing project awaited Iyamore – and the young coach was notably committed to the cause. After shelling out an extraordinary £600 of his personal savings on balls, bibs and other football equipment; Iyamore endeavoured to shift the entire ethos, structure and mindset of the team from top to bottom. A month later, Burdett FC U11’s overall progress, squad base and morale grew exponentially. So much so, that Iyamore later caught the attention of the club’s U16s and Foundation teams respectively.
Prior to Iyamore coaching at the club however, Burdett FC’s U16s also came with their fair share of similar problems within their managerial system. After witnessing their coach no-show at the Tower Hamlets Mayors Cup tournament, Iyamore – who was supposed to be spectator on the day – stood in, and successfully guided Burdett’s U16s to the tournament’s semi-finals. With the young coach receiving such high praise from his newly-managed players, the club secretary made a swift offer to take Iyamore on for the role as head coach of all three of Burdett FC’s squads - an offer that he willingly accepted with great aplomb.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Iyamore however, as his role as a coach began to interfere with his apprenticeship progress. With all his time and effort invested into coaching his teams towards a more competitive level, Iyamore found his days to be heavily congested – with no time to spare for his own personal hobbies. Fair to say; Burdett FC became his life mentally, physically and financially. As a result, Iyamore often found himself working from 8am-9pm on certain days during the week, due to running team training sessions for his squads directly after long days of grueling placement work. On many cases, he found himself unable to muster the energy to attend certain days of work at his placement school – which consequently found him in hot water and on the wrong side of many, many disciplinary proceedings.
Iyamore notes the entire process to have been worth it however, and his team’s results on the pitch backed his statements doubtlessly. After entering their first ever league in 2019, Iyamore’s U11s team dominated in most stages of the campaign – eventually ending as runners-up come the tail end of the season. However, it was more Burdett’s performances against other recognised teams on certain match days that caught Iyamore’s attention. From conversations with the parents of opposition team’s players, he discovered that certain club managers were charging over £300 annually for their children to represent their clubs – more than double what Iyamore charged the parents of his own players. Yet strikingly, Iyamore witnessed Burdett hammer one of the main culprits of overcharging parents as much as 18-0 on one occasion. Iyamore notes events as such to have driven him even further in ensuring he was consistently enriching his players in more ways than one.
Now 20 years of age and a coach at well-known football establishment Onside Academy – popular for pushing young promising talent into the professional game, Iyamore deserves huge amounts of respect and recognition for his efforts at Burdett FC. Managing three teams for more than a year at the age of 18 - whilst working a full-time job, is no easy task – and often cost him weekends or any free time to himself for that matter. The young coach has no regrets though, noting “normally, a lot of coaches come in and try to forcefully impose their philosophies on the team. I just wanted the boys to run on the idea that ‘I can do this’ as it is known that no player cares what you know as a coach - until they know how you care and believe in them.” He went on to add, “I don’t know what my future plan is right now, but a lot of doors are open. I’m just going to try and figure out my way and continue to adapt as much as possible whilst learning from my seniors and peers.”
It remains to be seen what’s to come from Simon Iyamore – but if he breaks into the professional football coaching scene in the coming years, don’t be surprised in the slightest. Remember the name.
For a better depiction of Simon Iyamore and Burdett FC’s story, visit our highlights page and watch a preview of the team’s documentary (full version soon to be released). Visit our Instagram page for Burdett FC’s social media links, and be sure to subscribe to The Voice of Grassroots Football by sending us your email below.
Comments