Ex-professional footballer turned UAE coach learns to be utility player

Chris Brown, a former professional footballer in England, is a hands-on soccer coach now running his own business who has learnt to be versatile in dealing with his busy schedule.

Chris Brown was a professional footballer for Crewe Alexander in England and is now the owner of It's Just Football in Dubai. Razan Alzayani / The National

The former professional footballer Chris Brown moved to the UAE nine years ago. He initially worked as a soccer coach before being asked to help set up the youth academy at the Jebel Ali Centre of Excellence. He then took over managing the centre, a job he did for five years. In May, he set up his own business, It’s Just Football. Here, he talks about how running his own business has forced him to become a jack of all trades.

6.30am

I am at the computer at 6.30 in the morning. I have breakfast — Alpen muesli — and check my emails to see if anything has come in. I check the internet with regards to football and see what’s going on. I support Crewe Alexandra. That’s usually a conversation-stopper but I’ve followed them since I played for them and I’ve still got a strong attachment to the staff there. I do all this from home at JLT — I set up in the free zone — so I am based here during the day.

7.30am

I go the gym for an hour.

9.30am

When I get back I look through my to-do list. At the moment I am arranging the design and marketing for the Youth Academy. I don’t think I realised the amount of time it takes; I need to be a jack of all trades doing everything from marketing to admin to accounting and coaching. At the minute it’s a bit of a balancing act. We’ve also got some tournaments coming soon: an inter-hotel tournament, a banks tournament and a schools tournament — though this is for teachers, not for the kids. If I’ve got any meetings planned, I schedule them for the morning. I am part of the BNI group. It’s a business network and referrals group. It’s really good. Everyone tries to help each other and you’ve got 60 seconds at each meeting to say what you do and what you’re looking for.

12.30pm / 1pm

I have lunch either at home or on the run if I am out. In the afternoon, I focus on what we are doing in regard to coaching and arrange for equipment if we need anything. I look at payments and registrations and the numbers in the groups. I do this from home or from a little cafe if our little dog, Frenchie, is getting to me. My wife was delighted when I started my own company as it meant we could get a dog.

3.45pm

I go up to the coaching sessions. On Monday and Wednesday we’ve got a session at the Football Centre at 3.45pm to 4.45pm. Then I’ve got to fly to Jebel Ali for the sessions at 5.30pm-7pm. We’ve got lots of different groups. For five to eight-year-olds, the future players squads. Then a new group for nine to 12-year-olds, the Tekkers Squad, at United Pro Sports for those who want to develop their technical skills. The Development Squads are for nine to 18-year-olds, then the Advanced Squads for nine to 16-year-olds twice a week at Jebel Ali. On Thursdays we have fitness and conditioning sessions. And we have league games on Saturdays. I started the Jebel Ali Youth League in 2007 and I am now merging this league with IFA’s youth league to create the Dubai Premier Youth League. I am really hands on. I’ve got two part-time coaches, Derek Whyte, who used to play for Scotland and Joe Hatcher. I’ve also got a young lad, Ali Fortune, who’s just started full-time.

7pm

I go home and answer more emails. Because I am out and off email a number pile up. So I watch TV and answer emails and do some more planning. Every year we take the academy away so we’ve been to Helsinki, Gothenburg and Madrid. We also organised an event with England and Scotland ex-internationals. We had a sportsmen’s dinner and played an exhibition match. I’m hoping to take that to Qatar this year. The first year we raised money for a charity in Sierra Leone and this year we raised funds for the youth academy. I play football twice a week but I’ve pulled my hamstring so I’m taking it easy and playing tennis at the moment. My wife and I take it in turns to cook. We try to be healthy in the evening and have meat and veg, no carbs. I watch a bit of football and head to bed about 11.30pm.