Ambitious boss hopes to fly high with new team

The newly-formed side was created by Robert Corcoran, who fulfilled a dream when AFC Gatwick was formed in October last year. And now the ambitious manager hopes to take his side up the tiers of English football.

He said: “After a 20 year playing career I was forced to hang up my boots and retire from playing at the age of just 25 following a serious ankle injury. Football has always been my passion and it was always my long term goal & dream to move into coaching and run my own team. It was around a year ago that I decided to set the wheels in motion and build my own 11-a-side men’s team.

“The idea of creating a football team was fed by my undying passion and love for the game along with my understanding of the importance of community involvement and development. There is so much talent in the local area; we want to give them even more opportunity to achieve their dreams.”

Corcoran, who is originally from Croydon, hopes his side will feature West Sussex Division 5 North, tier 17 of the English football league and the club will play their home games at Court Lodge playing fields in Horley.

But Corcoran, a former St Wilfrids School pupil added: “It is our long term aim to obtain our own grounds so that we are able to move to the higher tiers of English football.”And he is confident he will have enough players to start the 2018/19 season. He said: “At the moment we have enough players to cover one team comfortably for our first season; however the aim will be to create a second team, if not this season then the next.

“Therefore players are more than welcome to come along to training if interested in joining. Our three-year goal is to have two men’s teams, onewomen’s team, and youth team starting from u9s. Naturally if we can expand further than this in three years then we will.”

Corcoran has a lot of experience in football and has been involved with Coulsdon Colts (Youth), Caterham Pumas (Youth), Chipstead (Youth), Pease Pottage (Youth), Lincoln City, and Horsham Olympic.

His coaching career started around four years ago for First Kicks training academy, coaching children from the ages of 8–12 years old. He sadi: “AFC Gatwick is my first management position at a senior level but with four qualified coaches playing a part in my team I am confident we can be successful, I look forward to the challenge and cannot wait to get some silverware in the cabinet.”

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