Tuesday 29 November 2016 15:34, UK
Goalkeeper Graham Stack is the latest player from these shores to venture abroad, plying his trade on the other side of the world for Kerala Blasters in the Indian Super League.
During his 16-year professional career, Arsenal academy graduate Stack has turned out for clubs including Leeds, Millwall, Reading, Plymouth, Wolves, Hibernian and Barnet.
In this exclusive blog for Sky Sports, Stack talks about playing in front of 65,000 fans at his new club in south India, having lunch with cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, opening the batting with Kerala's assistant coach Wally Downes and much more....
My India journey - The story so far
After agreeing a contract with Kerala Blasters to play in the third edition of the Indian Super League [ISL], I packed my boots and my gloves with a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye.
I headed to Kochi in the south Indian state of Kerala, popularly known as 'Gods Own Country', renowned for its spices as well as its fanatical football supporters.
I was leaving behind my four children, my two dogs and my wonderful wife to head halfway across the world (5,000 miles) and embark on a four-month journey. I was hoping to create memories I would cherish for the rest of my life.
Barnet or Blasters?
The days prior to signing the contract with Kerala Blasters were stressful, putting me on a psychological roller coaster and leading to numerous emotional conversations with family and friends. I had a visit from Martin Allen at my house the day before I signed encouraging me to stay at Barnet. He tried his best to persuade me to stay.
Martin Allen is a man I have immense respect for and someone who gave me my first coaching job as his assistant. He would have been a huge factor in me declining the offer from India in order to continue working alongside him at a club I love, with a group of players I respect and believe in.
The offer came as a relief as I had spent the summer wondering what might be next for my family and me. My contract had run out and I had spent much of the previous season injured. It was a difficult a summer filled with doubts and the pressure of responsibility, as many footballers have gone through. I often wondered if my playing days were over and if it was time commit to coaching or perhaps venture into a new career.
The offer from Barnet would have allowed me to live at home, drive 30 minutes to training and continue to play a major role in my children's day-to-day life. I would have had my routine, my home comforts and a chance to be settled after spending much of my career around England and abroad.
Was it that time again? Maybe it was time for a new challenge - one I may never have again.
The decision for me to leave for India would mean leaving behind my wife and four children. I would miss my wife's birthday, my son Alfie's first day at school and my son George's first football match.
Those are days that make fathers proud, moments you cherish, all of which I'd be missing out on. Moving to India would not only have a huge impact on my children but also add even more responsibility and pressure on my wife.
My wife and I set up a personal travel company four years ago called ROOM442, which she has run independently and brilliantly on her own. We felt it was a big year for our business and knew it would be difficult to juggle so much without having me around.
My son George had recently started football and my daughters attend a number of classes including gymnastics and ballet. I assumed that - unfortunately for the kids - something would have to give, but my wife wouldn't dream of it. She got organised and more determined than ever and assured me things would continue as they always had.
The opportunity to embrace a different culture and see a part of the world - and a country I had never been to - was the chance of a lifetime.
The prospect of working alongside Steve Coppell, Wally Downes and sports scientist Niall Clark as a goalkeeping coach - as well as play - excited me. I had already worked under the manager before as a player during my time at Reading, winning the Championship in the 2005/06 season.
The Indian Super League
The anticipation of playing in front of 65,000 home supporters at every game was a big draw for me. The Kerala Blasters supporters are often compared to the fans of Borussia Dortmund and are aptly named The Yellow Sea. There are 10,000 fans in the stadium before the team arrives!
Every fixture is televised on Star Sports - the Indian equivalent of Sky Sports - and that brings even more prestige and publicity for the league. The huge success of the ISL has attracted Bollywood stars, huge corporate companies and cricketing legends such as Sachin Tendulkar, who is one of the co-owners of Kerala Blasters.
I have been fortunate enough to spend time in the great man's company, having lunch and a chat in his suite the day after a home game. He is an incredible motivator, an inspiration to every player and member of staff and he speaks with great calmness, yet carries intent and purpose.
The ISL has grown from strength-to-strength and yet it is still in its infancy. The fanatical Indian football fans can be immensely proud of their contribution and I have nothing but praise on how they conduct themselves at games and on social media. They are full of voice, energy and colour, making every game an extravagant spectacle.
The league has attracted interest further afield with Atletico Madrid winning the franchise for the Kolkata team in 2014. This interest from abroad sends a clear message to clubs across Europe to get a piece of the pie. TV money is set to increase for next season and the introduction of two more teams will give each club even more financial clout, allowing them to sign some of the best players in world football.
The league attracted over 429 million viewers in its first season, third behind the Premier League and the Bundesliga, with average attendances of over 26,000. Although this may have reduced this season due to a number of clubs changing stadia to smaller venues, the league has managed to attract some of the very best players and managers from around the world.
Past players include David Trezeguet, Nicolas Anelka, Robert Pires and Alessandro Del Piero, and more recent additions include Diego Forlan (who scored a hat-trick past me recently which certainly wasn't in the script!) Florent Malouda, John Arne Riise, and Helder Postiga to name just a few.
It has also attracted legends of the game including Zico, Marco Materazzi, Gianluca Zambrotta and Jose Molina who are all currently managers here.
The format of a three-month season and an eight-team league has a knockout feel about it. The structure means games both home and away against every team, with the top four entering a two-legged semi-final and the respective winners playing in the final.
Every team has a marquee player and in every game, at any given time, five Indian players must be on the pitch. This I assume is to help the development of young Indian players as well as getting the balance of quality, experienced foreign players.
Team-mates
On the pitch we are a team from all parts of the world - a mix of various languages, different religions and different cultures. This can be difficult but we have made it work. We have created a team spirit and a unity that has seen us come from a goal behind in three of our five victories. We have all made sacrifices to get here and we all want the same thing - to be CHAMPIONS!
The Indian players are very humble and grounded and have the ability to light up any room with a smile. They have energy, enthusiasm and a fantastic work ethic, matched with a desire to succeed. They are very inquisitive and often ask for advice and question how and why we do certain things.
Whatever the players lack in technical ability, strength and game management is understandable due to the lack of quality training facilities and qualified experienced coaches. This along with a huge shortage of funding in grassroots football and very few academies mean players develop far later.
It is also important to remember cricket is more ardently followed than football in India, with more traditional sports like Kabaddi and Hockey close behind, but football is now following suit. It's different to England where being a professional footballer is every young boy's dream.
A special place
During my travels across India I have been treated like royalty from each 5* hotel to the next. I have stayed in stunning suites in every hotel, been fed like a king and been received around the country as a superstar.
I have been fortunate to experience so many amazing places. The back waters of Alleppey on a house boat, The Derby at Kolkata race course, casino boats and beaches in Goa, I celebrated Diwali in Delhi, visited an Orphanage in Kochi and seen the most breathtaking churches and temples.
I managed to arrange a staff v players cricket match watched by hundreds of local people on wasteland near our hotel in Delhi. Unfortunately, Sachin was unavailable so it was left up to me to open the batting and build a partnership at the crease with Wally - we hit the Indian pace bowlers all round the place!
It was in stark contrast to the England team who were getting hammered in the Test match against India at the time. At least we restored some pride.
I have also seen some eye-opening things here in India that have humbled me and made me extremely grateful.
I will never forget seeing a young barefooted boy in Delhi at a set of lights on a major junction cradling his younger sister who could have only been months old. He was waiting for the lights to turn red before laying her in the middle of the road while performing cartwheels over her. He would then pick her up and walk in between cars begging for money to feed them.
I have seen people asleep in central reservations and under motorway bridges. I have flown over and driven through the slums in Mumbai. I have seen an entire family on one moped including parents with three children, none of which had a helmet on.
The experience of a taxi ride or trip on a tuk-tuk is almost unexplainable, it has its dangers often being split seconds or inches away from a crash at every turn, it is however the most exciting and easiest way to get around the chaotic streets.
My biggest surprise is that India has the fastest growing economy in the world with huge corporate businesses operating here. It is highly populated with a population over 1.3 billion people - that is 18 per cent of the world's population which can't be easy to manage.
Despite its problems, I have been blown away by the warmth and kindness of the people here. It is clearly a country with so much potential and the driving force behind it is undoubtedly the people.
Groundhog Day
The days can be long, training starts at 9.00am due to the heat and humidity, meaning we tend to be back at our hotel for midday. We travel to training accompanied by our daily police escort and have a security guard and integrity officer with us at all times. We train at a private school half an hour from our hotel. This means the players have a lot of free time, most of which is spent preparing for the next game or recovering from the last as the games are normally five days apart. In-between games, travelling and training, I often pop to the shopping mall that has a Costa Coffee. Our hotel doesn't sell alcohol so the occasional beer has been replaced with a caramel macchiato.
My social life is non-existent and I didn't want to waste time watching box sets and films. I wanted to be more pro active and use my time productively. I decided to record all my goalkeeping sessions, started a strength and conditioning course with the help of Niall and spent hours on end in the gym.
Late nights Face-Timing family and friends, watching Premier League, Champions League and Football League games are about as exciting as my evenings get. This also has its challenges as there's a five-and-a-half hour time difference. The use of social media has allowed me to stay in touch with goings on back home and also allowed me to let people see my journey so far through pictures on Instagram and tweets.
The ultimate question - has it been worth it?
It's too early for me to say, there are still two games to go and lots to play for. What I do know is that I am grateful to have had the opportunity and not once regretted being here. I came with the intention to be successful, learn, and experience things I would never get the chance to do. I have done two of the above and it won't be until or unless I have achieved the third that I can answer honestly. I am due to return back to England in December and there wouldn't be a better present than being picked up from the airport by my family with a gold medal around my neck!
Let's hope like any fairytale this one has a happy ending!
Hope you enjoyed my blog - to be continued.....
Stacky
