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MARLON BERESFORD: A NEW WORLD

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

I have been very busy getting the new business off the ground and running it has given me exciting new challenges, which is healthy after going from being a professional footballer where there was a certain level of comfort that surrounded being a sportsman at a high level. In my playing days I would do a couple of hours training in the morning on a week day and then I would be free do get on with what I liked for the rest of the day.

Don’t get me wrong it was a fantastic situation to be in as a professional footballer and I am very grateful. I’m in a totally different environment now working long hours in front of the computer screen and at the moment it seems I’m working every second but I can’t complain because we have fantastic business goals, which I am thoroughly enjoying working towards.

Away from the business I’ve been doing the commentary with Burnley which has been super although I’m not brining them any luck – the games I have covered so far they’ve lost but still they have been very entertaining and again it is another new experience for me so it is very good to be involved.

We went to White Hart Lane at the end of September and the Burnley boys lost 5-0 against a very good Spurs side that are growing stronger and stronger under the guidance of Harry Redknapp.

It was still a great day out for me even though we lost because I’m working with a great team and as I mentioned in my previous blogs I love a bit of hospitality at the grounds and so far I must say that the food at Tottenham Hotspur was very good. Unfortunately we were running a little late when we visited Stamford Bridge in August so I missed out there, which is a shame because I’ve heard they do put on a good spread!

Related categories: Football, Luton Town, Marlon Beresford

MARLON BERESFORD: THE NEW BUSINESS…

Saturday, September 5th, 2009

As my career came to an end I did look at moving into football coaching at one point, but then I was approached by a good friend who encouraged me to get involved in the accountancy teaching profession. I jumped at the chance! Based on his experience and reputation within the profession it seemed too good an opportunity – even though I don’t have an accountancy background.

I’m really enjoying being involved in helping run the business; Richard is a great lecturer and a very intelligent guy and it’s something that I’ve been able to get stuck into. It seems to be taking up so much of my time at the moment that I can’t really get involved with much of the coaching side of football unfortunately, although I am enjoying the challenge as this is something completely new.

We set up the business in Malta just over a year ago and it has been very successful, taking over 70% of the market over there. We have just started lecturing in Belfast and so far have had a great response, and now we are looking to expand even more. We are looking at setting up ACCA and CIMA centres all over England and Scotland in the next eighteen months to two years, so watch this space!

In the short term, over the next few weeks the main focus is really getting the courses up and running in Belfast and preparing for the next session in January 2010. The awareness is out there now and people understand who we are and what we offer, so it’s just a case of consolidating our work there. Then it’s on to sorting out in Edinburgh,Dublin and Chelmsford.

Related categories: Luton Town, Marlon Beresford

MARLON BERESFORD: ON THE MIC

Friday, August 28th, 2009

As well as getting to grips with the business, I’ve been offered the chance to try my hand at radio commentary, summarising on Burnley’s away games in the south of England. I’ve been out of the game for a year now so it’s great to be back involved. I’m looking forward to it, particularly doing some work for my old side Burnley who are now involved in the Premier League.

A friend of mine, Paul Weller, does the radio commentary for Burnley but he struggles to cover the games in London so the radio station asked him if he knew anybody who lives in the south of the country and he instantly recommended me. I’m really looking forward to it, you can never get football out of your system and this is a nice way for me to stay involved.

My role is basically summarising during the game. I’ve only done this once before, funnily enough it was a Burnley game against another of my old clubs, Luton Town.

There are some great stadiums in this country, and some of those are in the Capital so I think the places that I’m going to be commentating at during the season will look after us well and I’m looking forward to the excellent hospitality at places like the Emirates and Stamford Bridge!

Related categories: Luton Town, Marlon Beresford

MARVIN JOHNSON: LIFE AS A MANAGER

Friday, September 12th, 2008

When I was at Luton I used to have occasional dealings with a guy called Jon Taylor, he was a director at a local non-league club, we used to speak quite a lot about young lads they were looking to take on there and any players I had who would benefit from going out there for a bit of experience.

Not long after I left he rang me and I told him I was keen to get back in anyway I could as soon as possible, it didn’t necessary have to be as a youth team manager or coach, just anything to do with football – that was what I wanted to do. I was as interested in managing in the non-league as anything else and he told me about a club with a new stadium who were looking for a new manager – it was St. Neots Town. I told him I was certainly interested in hearing more about the post and he arranged for me to have a meeting with the chairman, Bob Bridges. After a few minutes with Bob I didn’t need much more convincing, the facilities they had were better than some conference clubs; a week later they offered me the job.

I was glad to take at the end of last season and get a few games under my belt at that level so I could see what the standard of the league was all about – it made my work in the summer a lot easier. I knew the sort of players I needed to find to improve what I had inherited it was the learning curve that I needed.

A few players left in the summer, a few that I didn’t want to keep on and I brought in the ones that I did. I assembled a young squad compared to the rest of the division but from my background I knew it was the way to go – against the grain, I’ve been told it won’t work but I believe it will.

We had a good pre-season, the young lads took everything on board I asked of them; they’ve passed the ball and are fit and strong. I am pleased with the way that they have gone about things, they have done everything I have asked of them. They always give me 100% and do their best, with a little guidance and the right instructions they will come out with the right results, nine times out of ten and who knows, at this stage, what they are capable of achieving.

Related categories: League 2, Luton Town, Marvin Johnson

[FIRST POST] MARVIN JOHNSON: WHERE AM I NOW?

Tuesday, September 9th, 2008

As soon as I lost my job at Luton I knew I wanted to get back into professional football at my earliest opportunity. Time though ticked on and it didn’t happen as quickly as I would have liked so not wanting to sit around, I decided to set-up a soccer school to tide me over. I had planned to run it as an after schools class and then look at doing something in the holidays however after doing a bit of research I realised that it was going to be best to just focus on the school holidays as schools had already established relationships for sessions after school and that would be a hard market to get into as I would have to break down loyalties, this also was a good way to test the water.

I had good contacts at Vauxhall and went to see them for a chat, they told me about their events for other sports like tennis and cricket but said there wasn’t really anything out there in the area for football and with the strength of my name in the area, they thought I could be quite successful.

It probably took me three to four months to put on the first event having decided this was what I wanted to do. I spoke to a friend of mine down in London who ran his own classes and he invited me down to have a closer look, I saw how he did things and mixed that together with my own thoughts of how it could work – first and foremost it had to be something kids would enjoy.

The not so exciting but very important aspects of dealing with the insurance, the legal side, buying the right equipment then took precedence and once it was all in order, away we went.

The first session at Vauxhall was in February last year, which is always a quiet time and I was really pleased to get 20 kids down for it, it was nice to get the first one out of the way.

There were problems and things we needed to deal with but I felt it was a good starting point and something we could improve on, having had good feedback I began to plan the next one.

I came at it from a different angle to how I used to plan professional youth training sessions – they were all young boys looking to make a living from the game and I was now working with kids of all different abilities, aged between 7 – 14 and it had to be fun but competitive. The coaching itself is similar but the organising of the sessions is quite different, whatever level of football you are coaching at I am a great believer that it has to be fun.

Related categories: Luton Town, Marvin Johnson

[FIRST POST] MARLON BERESFORD: I’M CONSIDERING MY OPTIONS

Friday, September 5th, 2008

I was always aware of the situation at Luton following consecutive relegations, so the need to balance the books and trim the playing squad came as no surprise to a few of us that our services were no longer needed.

From the playing point of view it’s a real shame what has happened at the club, from beginning to establish ourselves as a championship side to the current situation has been an unbelievable downturn in fortunes, therefore I sincerely hope the club can pick itself up from where they are now.

There was interest from a few clubs in the summer and I had hoped to tie something up and extend my career, but in agreeing a financial package at Luton things got delayed and I missed out.

Coaches and managers need to know what they have got to work with early in pre season and with the season rapidly approaching couldn’t hang on any longer, it’s a shame but understandable, so I found myself for the first time in 22 years taking an August holiday, going away with the family and escaping the English summer (not a bad thing after all!!!)

I am currently considering my options and while a few business opportunities have presented themselves I am certainly not going to close any doors on football.

Related categories: Luton Town, Marlon Beresford