Coley weighs options after earning European coaching licence

Jamaica College head coach Miguel Coley is looking at the possibility of moving to England to improve his coaching qualifications.

Coley recently completed a coaching course in Spain and now holds the equivalent of a UEFA B Licence, which, he said, means that he can take up a coaching role at a club in the English League Championship or equivalent competition across Europe.

However, his aim is to gain a UEFA Pro Licence, which would allow him to coach at the highest level across the continent.

"I was supposed to go to Queen's Park Rangers to do some work with them," he said. "Hopefully, by January, I can go there because in England, you have to be with a club for eight months or so. If you're with a club, you can then do the licence there. "

England was seen as a suitable destination because Coley said that he was told by Italian World Cup-winning coach Marcelo Lippi (who directed the course in Spain) that one has to do licence training in the native language of the country in which one is based for the eight months.

Better paying clubs

Coley said that not having the Pro Licence has already cost him opportunities at better-paying clubs overseas.

"I was contacted by a club in Qatar, and they loved my experience, but they wanted a coach holding a UEFA Pro Licence. The badge is very, very important. That was one of the reasons I said I have to start going out and developing myself in terms of getting certification, and at the same time, getting experience."

In the meantime, Coley remains focused on retaining his ISSA/FLOW Manning Cup title with Jamaica College (JC). He does, however, have to put his livelihood first.

"I'm a young coach with a family, and I am very ambitious, so definitely, I always have consideration for that, but at this point in time, I am with Jamaica College, and that is my focus," he said, adding that he had recently been contacted by a Caribbean country but chose to remain focused on his job at JC.