Q&A with Peter Caulfield
Glasgow City Manager, Peter Caulfield was recently interviewed by number one fanzine - Scotzine - for the July 2009 edition of their 12th Man Magazine. This is what he had to say.
AM: What did it feel like to win the domestic treble with Glasgow City and as manager of the club how proud does that make you feel?
PC: It is always a great feeling to win any trophy and we are all involved in football hoping that we will experience that winning feeling somewhere along the way, but to win the domestic treble was fabulous for the club and I think emphasises just what a quality team we have. As Manager, I am immensly proud, especially of the players, as I know just how much hard work went in to this success. The amount of time spent training and in preparation for each game was huge, notwithstanding thedistances players travelled to attend four training sessions per week, so they deserve huge credit for their commitment and hunger for success.
AM: Were there any bad points from last season?
PC: There were no real bad points but there were still a few disappointments throughout the season; even one that results in a treble! When you do not play as well as you expect to, even sometimes in victory, that can be disappointing. Victory is always the goal for the team but we always want to play in an attacking and attractive manner and sometimes that doesn’t happen. The biggest isappointmentthough was having to compete in Europe without important players. For instance, Sue Lappin, who is the clubs top goalscorer, could not play in Europe last season because of work commitments and that is annnoying as we may have been able to get further than the last 16 if we had her available. On that stage you are competing against professional teams, who have all their players available to play and at times you feel like you have one hand tied behind your back. On the back of our league title win we have again qualified for the Women’s Champions League, for 2009/10, but this time have two players unable to go because of work! It’s so frustrating!
AM: Other than winning the treble,what else would you take away from last season?
PC: Undoubtedly our growth as a football team. We are, I think, a very efficient side now capable ofcompeting at the very highest level in Europe. We are a very attacking freeflowing football team but we have now got great discipline and organisation on the pitch and that has taken us up a level.
AM: With both Old Firm clubs represented in the top tier of the Women’s game now, do you think they will begin to attract the better players and challenge City for the title year in year out?
PC: I suspect they will be able to use the Celtic and Rangers names to attract players to the clubs and there have been many examples of this already, as you only have to look at the number of international players which Celtic have signed over the last year. However, the game is gettingstronger right across the league, as emphasised by Spartans pushing us all the way for the title, and I expect that to continue with other clubs as well as the Old Firm competing with us for the title. As a club though we are confident we can continue to compete and be successful and have shown the high regard players hold us in when we have just signed two players from Celtic, on the back ofhaving signed one mid-season.
AM: Next Season you take part in the Women’s Champions League as Scotland’s sole representatives - who do you see as your biggest obstacles and do you think you have a chance of progressing?
PC: The major footballing countries will always provide the biggest obstacle for us and with these
countries now gaining two entrants into the competition it will just make things more difficult. As a football team we believe whole-heartedly than we can beat anyone on our day, so of course I believe it is possible for us to progress, however, the draw wasn’t the kindest to us this year having drawn Bayern Munich in our group and as with all German (and professional) teams, they will most likely be the biggest challenge for us.
AM: Can the women’s Game in Scotland grow to the popularity it is at in Germany and in America? What, in your opinion, would it take to increase its reputation and popularity?
PC: I firmly believe that it can and I refuse to accept any other opinion. Anything in life is achievable if you have committed people striving for change and development. I am tired of hearing people say that no one wants to watch the Women’s game, but as an example, 55,000 people turned up in Frankfurt recently to watch a Germany v Brazil international, which was also live on TV, so how can anyone say that no one wants to watch women’s football, given this statistic? In my opinion the biggest barrier to increasing the reputation and popularity lies with the SFA. I am sure the SFA will say that they are putting huge resources into the Women’s and Girls game but it is not enough. All the successful nations are having the game backed by their associations with major amounts of investment and I think we have a long way to go in this country to ensure we keep pace. But it is not even all about hard cash. For example, at our recent Scottish Cup final against Rangers, at Forthbank Stadium in Stirling, why weren’t the SFA marketing this game like crazy? There was no, or extremely little, TV, Radio, or Press advertising and the only promotion of the game was done by the clubs themselves. There was a poster produced for the match but the clubs were sent them to print them off, distribute to players, family and friends and ask them to display them wherever possible. We as a club had to contact Radio and Press to try and get some interest when the SFA Marketing Departments expertise and contacts could have had huge success with this. Even development officers and active schools coordinators that we spoke to in the Stirling area, who work in football every day, were not aware that the cup final was even taking place. No one is going to buy if they don’t know you are selling in the first place!! We need to start letting the public know that the game exists before they will come to watch and as clubs we also have a huge amount to do to sell our own game, so we must be prepared to accept some responsibility too. Finally, the huge numbers of girls now playing football and the parental support that that entails, will gradually have more people asking why we are not investing more time, money and effort into the game so we can be a nation that is proud of its women’s football also.
AM: Why did you decide to manage a women’s Football team and not manage in the men’s game?
PC: It happened by accident really. I played football at amateur level and broke my leg badly which required pins and plates inserted, and resulted in me calling a halt to my playing days. I then took some courses to keep in the game a bit and helped at my own club for a while. Then in a casual conversation one day with a friend of my brother, he told me his daughter played football but their
team didn’t have a coach and he asked if I would help out. I agreed and was immediately struck by their enthusiasm, willingness to learn and attentiveness which made a change from the many males who believe they already know everything. So I kept doing it and things just grew from there.
AM: What is Glasgow City as a club doing to promote the game and what initiatives do they undertake to bring in new players?
PC: I believe we are one of the most progressive clubs in the women’s game and are always endeavouring to promote the game. We were the first senior club to have a dedicated club website, were the first Premier club to produce a match day programme and we continually contact the press and radio with articles about the game. Our Team captain Laura Montgomery now has her own weekly column in the Glasgow Evening Times and she sends out press releases every week to all national and local newspapers and including the BBC Sport website. In regard to bringing in new players that takes numerous forms. Firstly, we use our website to advertise, we use word of mouth to get the message out and we look at players from other clubs who we believe can improve us. We also have started a reserve team last season, with all the players between 14 and 17 years old, and are now working hard to develop them and produce our own talented players. We are already reaping the benefits of this decision because I have just moved two players up to the 1st team squad for the coming season.
AM: What advice would you give to any aspiring female footballers wanting to play at the top level?
PC: Practice, prectice, practice! The only way to play at the top level is to be the complete player and that only happens with continual practice. We are still some way off from the top nations in terms of players’ overall fitness and that is an area we need to improve greatly in Scotland, but we have some exceptional technically gifted players here and can compete with any country in this aspect, particularly at youth level, but we have to see them make the step into the senior game and help raise the level for everyone following.
AM: If you could choose a Glasgow City XI with female players all over the world, with no restrictions such as money, visas etc who would you select?
PC: I would probably include a player or two from my own team here, but to avoid upsetting anyone I will go with a more international eleven, in a 4-3-3 formation. I have only selected players that I have actually seen play. I think I could conquer the world with this team!!!
Peter Caulfield International XI
Goalkeeper: Nadezhda Baranova (Zvezda-2005)
Defenders: Alex Scott (Boston Breakers) Anita Asante (Sky Blue FC) Tina Wunderlich (FFC Frankfurt) Frida Ostberg (Chicago Red Stars)
Midfielders: Kelly Smith (Boston Breakers), Fara Williams (Everton) Vera Djatel (Zvezda-2005)
Forwards: Marta (Los Angeles Sol) Birgit Prinz (FFC Frankfurt) Hanna Ljungberg (Umea IK)
Editor - We would like to thank Peter Caulfield for taking time out from his busy schedule and preparation for the upcoming Champions League qualifiers to answer our questions.Good Luck for next season Peter and hopefully you can better last season’s performances in Europe also.
Scotzine 12th Man Magazine July edition
Eddie Wolecki (Head Coach) and Peter Caulfield (Manager) with the Unite Scottish Cup 2009
13.08.09
