Ashley Westwood is back in Indian football and this time he will join the stir of business as head coach of I-League side RoundGlass Punjab FC.
Having already led Bengaluru FC to two I-League titles and a Federation Cup and serving as the football director of ATK’s Indian Super League side, the Englishman has brought some familiar faces from his previous time with him to his new challenge.
At a virtual press conference, when asked why he chose to return, Ashley Westwood said his and Punjab FC’s vision matched.
“The club has been thought and built for the right reasons. Our founder Sunny (Gurpreet) Singh has a great interest in sports and wants to create opportunities for the children and youth of Punjab, where he comes from, to play sports,” said westwood.
“We want to create a healthy, fair and hard-working team and we want to inspire young people with our performances and play style, in line with Sunny’s vision, which includes providing a real platform that Punjab’s children and young people are inspired by, and help cherish their dreams of becoming athletes,” he added.
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As the club gears up for the upcoming 2021-22 I-League season, which kicks off on December 26, RoundGlass Punjab FC’s preparations began in October and the team has been based in Kolkata ever since, with the players and support staff being housed in a bio-secure environment.
“The pre-season has been good. It’s a new team and the more time we spend together the better it is. Being in this environment, which means living and working together day in and day out, brings the team together and allows us to learn more about each other and understand the character of each member of the team which is part of our decision making Process Another benefit of being together is that we can focus on football because there are no distractions and we can control the environment. We try to keep the players challenging while at the same time making sure it doesn’t get monotonous,” said Westwood.
RoundGlass Punjab FC had an impressive I-League debut under new ownership last season, finishing 4th, and also made a strong statement of intent during the summer transfer window.
Westwood will have some familiar faces – CK Vineeth, Robin Singh, Rino Anto and Lalchhuanmawia – joining him at Punjab FC.
“The players we have signed give us balance and have been brought on board for not only their abilities but also their professionalism and experience. I know the players I have worked with before will do things the right way and be role models will be for not only the younger players at the club, but also those of our academy and our fans. We wanted a balance between youth and experience in the squad so that we can compete for the I-League,” said Westwood.
RoundGlass Punjab FC start their I-League campaign against Rajasthan United FC at 7.30pm at Kalyani Stadium in West Bengal on December 26.
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