Jesse Marsch has revealed that he received sponsorships from Scotland to set him on the road to coaching at the highest level.
As he took his first steps into coaching the current RB Salzburg coach realised that to coach in Europe he would have to obtain a UEFA Pro Licence.
The course takes a minimum of 20 months to complete and becomes more than part-time to gain the required hands-on and watching experience which involves studying and reporting back on matches and training sessions across Europe.
Celtic has extensive connections across North America, linking clubs and coaches in with the Academy and Professional Level coaching with an annual conference hosted at Lennoxtown.
It takes a lot of drive and confidence for an American to sign up for the Pro Licence to work in a continent steeped in the game but as he started out at RB New York in 2014 Marsch had very definite plans that his career wasn’t going to remain within the MLS.
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What is your advice for an American coach wanting to work in Europe?
Honestly it’s not easy for American coaches wanting to work in Europe. We saw it with Bob Bradley (at Swansea) and you know my acclamation hasn’t been so difficult, partly because I’m within the Red Bull Family.
The first obstacle for all American coaches is achieving the Pro Licence and you know, that’s not so easy to find, you need to find sponsorships I was able to get mine through Scotland and some relationships with some clubs that I’ve had in Scotland. And then, you know for me I’ve worked hard at learning the way that European football works. Understanding a new language, understanding a new culture and really trying to adapt in every way possible to show that I care about the way that things are done in Germany and in Austria
After four years with RB New York, Marsch was assistant manager at RB Leipzig for one season before taking on the manager’s job at RB Salzburg in 2019.
CLICK HERE for his Transfermarkt profile.
‘Of course it’s interesting’ – Jesse Marsch honoured to be linked with Celtic
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— BBC Sport Scotland (@BBCSportScot) March 17, 2021