Former Inverness Caley Thistle goalkeeping coach and scout is on top of the world to manage Indian club Ladakh FC
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STEVE Marsella is looking forward to being on top of the world for his next adventure in professional football.
The former Inverness Caledonian Thistle goalkeeping coach and scout has been appointed as the new manager of Ladakh FC, who are scheduled to make their debut as a professional football club this year.
Based in the city of Leh, which is 11,500 ft above sea level, they are set to become the first professional football club in the country’s region of Ladakh.
Not only that, they aim to become the most environmentally friendly club in the country, where they are aiming to attain zero net carbon by 2025.
Marsella, who flew out to India on Tuesday, says the exciting prospect of being in charge of a new professional football club, as well as their green philosophy to operations, is what attracted him to take the role.
He is looking forward to the challenge of being at the forefront of a brand new professional football club.
“I am going to a club that is not relegated or sitting at the bottom of the league,” said Marsella.
“It is a fresh start at a club who are completely focussed on going green.
“We are all going to have electric bikes to get into work, wear kit from recycled material and there are going to be no plastic bottles, everything is going to be environmentally friendly.
“This is one of the first football clubs to go green and it is a big story in India as they want to be net zero by 2025.
“We are building up a team at the moment, but we are going to get a quarter of the squad from the local area.
“We are starting grassroots football in schools and I will take in the best players from our area.
“Everybody is looking forward to the challenge.
“Ladakh want to make this work and we have a lot of interest from players who want to play and be part of what we are doing.”
While India is not considered a major football nation, interest in the sport in the country is growing.
The Ladakh Football Association was only established in 2019 as the region became a Union Territory.
The association was granted affiliation by the All India Football Federation last year.
It has been reported that the region has 33 approved clubs and 245 players registered with it.
Tourism for a long has been the main source of income for the territory.
But the owners behind Ladakh FC wants to make football also a source of regular income besides allowing the local talent to grow and boost the footballing culture in the region.
Playing at 11,500 ft above sea level will be a challenge for any team playing due to the decreased amount of oxygen at that altitude.
Marsella, who was former goalkeeping coach with the Philippines under Terry Butcher, who he also worked during his time at Inverness Caledonian Thistle, has experience of playing at high altitudes in the past.
But he says playing at 11,500 ft above sea level is something everyone, who is not used to doing so before, is going to have to acclimatise to.
“I was with the Philippines when we went to play Nepal in a World Cup qualifier, Marsella recalled.
“The lads really struggled playing at altitude.
“The stadium is in the process of being finished.
“At 11,500 ft, it is going to be one of the highest stadiums in the world.
“So the way we play is going to be completely different to what I have experienced before.
“I think the away teams will need to come three days before just to acclimatise to the altitude.
“There are quite a few amateur clubs based in the Ladakh area, but they never had a professional team.
“If we can get the locals on board we think we can be really successful.”
Marsella hopes that his former boss at Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Terry Butcher, will accept any invitation to deliver training sessions as his guest.
However, he says the emphasis of his squad will be bringing through talent which is capable of achieving success with Ladakh.
He says it is a huge challenge turning amateur players into professional footballers.
But he says it can be done and will bring in players who are determined to prove themselves on a bigger stage in football in India.
“Whatever player I bring in, they will know they are not coming into make up the numbers,” said Marsella.
“When they come in, I want them to be capable of starting games and bringing in players from the region of Ladakh will be a benefit.
“I have worked with amateur players before, and when you turn them into professionals, they are determined to make that step and they are stronger than players who were already full time.
“I want players who are hungry and want to play full time and anyone who plays us will find it hard against us.”
Marsella worked as a goalkeeping coach and chief scout at Caley Thistle for three years between July 2010 and November 2013.
He was responsible for bringing some of the club’s best regarded players to Inverness, who included Jonny Hayes, Billy McKay, Alan Power, Andrew Shinnie and Marley Watkins.
He then moved with Butcher in November 2013 to Hibernian where he worked as chief scout where he spent 10 months at Easter Road.
He then spent three years as the chief scout of Kilmarnock before moving to the Philippines, where he was the goalkeeping coach of the national team.
He then went on to join Global FC in the Philippines Football League, where the club participated in the AFC Champions League.
Marsella says that he looks back at his time at Inverness Caledonian Thistle fondly.
While Inverness are no longer in the top flight of Scottish football, he says it is fantastic to see them reach the Scottish Cup final.
He says that he will be cheering them on in the final, despite being 3973 miles away looking forward to achieving success with his new club.
“I would like to wish Inverness Caledonian Thistle all the best against Celtic in the Scottish Cup final in Hampden.
“I think it is tremendous that they have managed to reach the Scottish Cup final.
“I loved my time working at Inverness Caledonian Thistle and I was up there 25 years on and off where I was based at Burghead.
“What they have done at Caley Thistle and Ross County for football in the Highlands and to get where they are just now has been a tremendous effort from both clubs.
“If there was an opportunity to go back to the Highlands in the future I would certainly consider it.”
