"We give the players the opportunity to grow and be the best people they can be" – South United Sports Foundation's sporting director Terry Phelan

Terry Phelan has certainly been quite the journeyman in his career. Born in Manchester, Phelan has played for the likes of Leeds United, Manchester City, and Chelsea in the Premier League, while also winning the prestigious FA Cup in 1988 with AFC Wimbledon. He even ventured into football in the United States of America before concluding his playing career in New Zealand.

Today, he is largely recognized as a pundit, but his role in nurturing Indian football’s development over the past decade is equally significant. In 2015, the Irish international took on the head coach role at Kerala Blasters FC but later transitioned to the developmental and grassroots aspects of the game in India.

Presently, he serves as the sporting director of Bengaluru Super Division Club, South United FC's Sports Foundation. During his four-year tenure, Phelan has played a pivotal role in steering the club toward remarkable growth.

In a conversation with Sportskeeda, Terry Phelan delved into his behind-the-scenes efforts at the club, which have undeniably contributed to the development of Indian football as a whole.

South United FC, situated at the heart of Bengaluru, has risen to prominence as one of the city’s top clubs, with world-class facilities, while boasting its own stadium.

Speaking about the reason behind joining the club, Phelan pointed out that the infrastructure, aligned with the owners’ vision, was a significant factor.

"Infrastructure played a big part in my decision along with the vision of the owners and the CEO. That was part and parcel of why I ended up in Bengaluru. The club had its own infrastructure in the heart of Bengaluru and it aligned with the vision of what we wanted to do. It’s the attention to detail that they have gone ahead with, which is amazing," he explained.

Phelan’s journey with South United FC started when the club were competing in the I-League 2. However, just a year into his tenure, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted football globally. Despite the challenges, South United FC continued its operations and realigned its vision.

However, they had to start fresh in the Bengaluru District Football Association’s ‘A’ division, the second tier of the Bengaluru Football League. From a Sporting Director’s lens, Phelan opened up about the challenges that he and the club faced during that time, and how the club’s owner and the staff behind him were united in keeping the team going strong.

"A lot of people were skeptical of what was going to happen. What we did at South United FC, we kept the club functioning and I think that goes to the owner and the CEO. We kept the club moving and without the employees, we couldn’t have done that," he stated.

"Off the field, we had to do meetings online with the students, and coaches to keep everyone engaged. It was a dark time, but it was a big learning curve, and we came out of it not too bad and it is down to the owner, his family, and the CEO," Phelan added.

The club’s resilience bore fruit, with South United FC winning the BDFA ‘A’ division just a year later and moving to the BDFA Super Division, the top tier of the Bengaluru Football League.

In the interview, Terry Phelan also shared insights into his experiences with the club, the growth of Indian football, and offered his views on the Indian national team and head coach Igor Stimac.

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Here are the excerpts from Sportskeeda’s interview with South United FC's Sporting Director Terry Phelan.

Question: What made you take the role and how big of a challenge was it when you stepped into this position?

Phelan: It wasn’t too much of a challenge because I’ve been in India previously. I was the Chief Mentor at SESA Goa, and the technical director for Kerala Blasters, where I ran all their programs. So, I already had an insight into the Indian mentality within the footballing fraternities.

I also had an idea of the playing approaches and the mindset of the players and the coaches. I had a good experience before of both positives and negatives when I came to Bengaluru a few years back, which made it easier.

Question: You’ve been at this club since 2019. How has your experience been and do you think they have grown in stature over the past four years?

Infrastructure played a big part in my decision along with the vision of the owners and the CEO. That was part and parcel of why I ended up in Bengaluru. The club had its own infrastructure in the heart of Bengaluru and it aligned with the vision of what we wanted to do. It’s the attention to detail that they have gone ahead with, which is amazing.

It’s not only about me being in charge, it’s about different people being in charge. First and foremost it’s the owner Mr. Sharan Parikh, then the CEO, Mr. Pranav Trehan, and then the head of operations, Human Resource and it’s not just about the technical side of it, there’s a lot more work that goes into it.

The club has grown on a massive volume, with the players that have come in. We were in the I-League 2 pre-covid and then covid hit, so it was a big change around the footballing world.

We then realigned everything, and I think the main detail was to build the club and infrastructure, which we did well. Then, we built the house, it’s like putting the furniture in that, and that’s what we did. Once you build the engine room, you have to get the players in.

We had to start from scratch a couple of seasons back and now we have won the BDFA 'A' division. We also have a wonderful academy with 500 children there from the age of two to 18, with free scholarship programs involved. There are an array of coaches, especially in Bengaluru. Now we are looking to develop an ecosystem in different verticals.

Question: You’ve been overseeing the development of grassroots football for a long period. How would you assess the progress of grassroots football in India from the time you arrived to this day?

Phelan: Grassroots programs run differently in different states. You have different states and languages and it’s down to the attention of what that particular club needs to build a program. Stepping into India many moons ago, the infrastructure has got better, private providers have come in to build turfs and fields. We have also done an 11-versus-11 field, which is a community project, it’s not just about football.

But the competition needs to be better, and it is getting there. There needs to be more league formats and we should not become a country where we just train. We got to get more games for the students where they can compete with the best. The school curriculums have to be better for sports, particularly football.

However, on the whole, there have been some great developments in the country. The ISL has developed and found success. The crowd Kerala Blasters get or the crowds in Goa, Northeast, and Kolkata, which are the hot-beds are an example.

There are also a lot of younger coaches coming into the game and football’s everywhere now, which was not the case 20 years ago.

Question: South United FC recently conducted a Kick for a Cause tournament for underprivileged children from the city. If you could provide more information about this initiative and how it went?

Phelan: It was a great cause to get the NGOs in and show them what we have got on the doorstep. Bringing in a new set of players together, who have probably never seen an infrastructure like we had before. We gave them a chance to play in a great environment to try and give them hope and maybe catapult them to their dreams. It was about giving back to the community.

It was two fantastic days and I would like to thank the partners who were involved in that – Puma and Salt World. Just seeing the smiles on the players and the NGOs was great. We are going to try and do multiple of these initiatives to show we have a home of football for the community.

Question: After winning the BDFA 'A' division title last season, the first team is currently in the lower half of the BDFA Super division table. How have the performances been this season and are you satisfied with the results?

Phelan: At the end of the day, it’s a team game. We are all in it together, and it’s about growing. We started in the A division after covid and the idealogy there was to stay there, which we did. The next year (2022-23 season) we won the A division, which was fantastic.

Now we are in the Super division, and yes, it would be beautiful to win it the first season, but realistically it never happens. It will take time because it’s a long-term process. The team are currently picking up points and we are playing well, but we have had one or two major injuries to key players.

On the whole, I can’t say we are not happy, but we have to look forward to finishing the highest we can, with the victories we can get under our belt.

Question: I wanted to talk to you about the Indian Super League. This seems to be one of the most exciting editions of the competition with several top-class coaches here. In your view, does this season stand out in terms of player quality and the level of competition?

Phelan: There have always been top coaches in the ISL. There were a lot of players when we first started, and a lot of foreign players came in to enlighten the crowd and to get the taste buds wet. Now, there are more homegrown players coming in. The clubs have been very smart with their strategies in terms of what they want to achieve.

The player development is growing there, but again, it’s a competition that players and the coaches want to win which keeps it healthy for the crowd. The crowds have been healthy all around the country as well. It’s been quite an exciting journey.

Question: What are your thoughts about the current Indian men's football team as they go into a crucial period of playing in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers and the AFC Asian Cup?

Phelan: They have grown in stature. I was talking to Igor Stimac and the coaching staff when they trained at South United FC, which was brilliant to see. I asked him what had changed and he told me that he has gotten his players stronger, more aggressive and you can see it with the players.

There is still a long way to go, but at the offset of it, there are good early signs for the national team. It’s all about winning and getting their rankings higher, and we have the right bunch to do it. The AIFF has faith in Stimac and his coaching staff.

He has also brought in younger players and wants the best for the country and the team. He’s certainly the right man to do the job and there are good signs for Indian football.

Question: You’ve expressed a strong commitment to youth development in the past. Is this still your primary focus, or do you see yourself returning to coaching top-division clubs in the future?

Phelan: At the end of the day, I just take one day at a time. Take one boy or girl on a journey and give them hope. That’s what it’s all about about. You can never say in football where you’ll end up. But I’ll just take one day at a time, and keep my eyes open.

I want to give something back to the wonderful students who have come out to learn. We have also got some good coaches and players in India, who want to go abroad to bring success stories back with them. This is what we need to do. We give the players the opportunity to grow and be the best people they can be.

Question: Finally, what is your vision for the future of this football club, and how do you plan to realize that vision?

Phelan: I think it’s a vision from everybody. It starts with the owner and CEO. We want to have the best infrastructure and football club in India, and at present, we are looking at different verticals. We want to grow our ecosystem, and grow the player side of it - nurturing the players, and the coaches and giving them the dream that they can develop at South United Football Club.

It’s a long-term project. The wheels start to churn now, the cogs are starting to roll and hopefully, we can bring success stories to the students we are working with. It’s a vision from everybody, from the cleaners in the club to the owner.