Glasgow Clan’s Chief Operating Officer Gareth Chalmers has began the search for a new coach and admits he’s already got a list of potential candidates.
It will be a year to the day since the Elite League side’s last game on Sunday as they finally begin preparations for a new season, which they hope will begin in September, starting with a new man in charge to replace Zack Fitzgerald, who left last April.
Chalmers insists it’s a role coveted by many within the game, but his focus is on identifying the individual who can take the club to the next level and do something they’ve yet to do in their 10-year history and that’s win some silverware.
“We’ve already got the ball rolling by speaking to agents and potential candidates to see who’s out there,†Chalmers said.
“There has been interest already and it’s a role we get a lot of interest in every year. I get bombarded with emails and messages by various people.
“We’re never short of candidates every year, which is a good thing. Our club has a very good reputation and people want to come here. We look after our players and coaches and it works to our advantage.
“We’ve already got a list of a few candidates who are interested from people who have reached out to us so whether they’re suitable for us is something we’ll sort out in time.
“But we need to start winning now and the big thing is to bring in a coach who can take us to the next level. We’re long overdue for some trophy success and I’m hopeful the next coach can help us achieve that.
“I’m not putting a timeline on the process as I feel it’s important to bring in the right person. However long that takes is what it will be, but working under the assumption we’ll start again in September, we’d be looking at having someone in place in May, maybe early June at the latest.â€
Earlier this week, the Elite Series was announced by the EIHL, with Nottingham Panthers, Sheffield Steelers, Coventry Blaze and Manchester Storm all playing in a short format tournament, starting in April.
Chalmers says he would have loved for the Clan to be involved, but it wasn’t feasible and says any players from the club who wish to play would do so with his full backing.
“The Elite Series is a huge step forward, even just to get some level of hockey back for the sport, which is already happening in the lower levels,†he added.
“We would have loved to be involved, but for a variety of reasons, it just wasn’t possible for us for all manner of reasons. There would have been a lot of logistical issues for us to get through before we could commit to it.
“It wasn’t to be for the Clan, but if any of our players were to be picked up, they would certainly go with my blessing. When the idea of this competition was first discussed, I made sure our British players were kept up to date and how the situation was rolling.
“It’s in their best interests as well as ours to play in this tournament. They’ve already been out of action for a year and for a professional athlete, it’s not suitable at all so I would view it as a positive for them to get involved and get playing again.â€
