Nathan Hall arrived in Vanuatu a little over three months ago to take the helm at a club that has dominated the domestic scene over the past three years especially.
He’s now looking to prove himself at a new level, with a new side which means all eyes will be on him come kick-off.
“I knew Andrew [Leong, Amicale manager] quite well, we connected and they wanted to bring me out here,” Hall recalls of his journey to Port Vila.
“I came over, met all of the committee and directors and got on really well straight off the bat. Fast forward three months and it’s been okay so far.”
Hall’s career, while still burgeoning, has seen him cover huge distances in the five years since he picked it up.
“I was a player but had a lot of injuries at a very young age. I went over to the UK when I was 18 but in nine months I couldn’t find a club and came back to Australia very disillusioned,” he says.
“I didn’t really know what I wanted. Then I did my first coaching course and I loved it. I guess I progressed pretty rapidly from being an academy coach to being a first team coach in five years.”
Hall says Australia’s decision to leave the Oceania Football Confederation for the Asia Football Confederation was a turning point for him as it opened up some doors.
“As a young coach in Australia it’s very hard, unless you have a strong playing pedigree and background, it’s almost impossible to get a full-time pro job.
“Initially I didn’t expect that coaching would turn into a full-time thing. I just wanted to learn and become the best I could be, progress and become better,” Hall says.
“Probably when I was first team coach in the New South Wales State League, which is roughly the equivalent of your Team Wellington, was when I realised I could make a career out of this – and I was only 23.”
His journey has taken him from Australia through Thailand and over to India before he found himself in Vanuatu, and while there are few regrets he’s also pleased to be adding a new chapter to the story in Oceania.
“I feel very blessed and honoured to be given the opportunities that I have at my age,” he says.
“It’s been a very different change for me so far, working with amateur players who all have jobs, salaries are small as you know, and it’s hard when football’s not your career you know.”
But for all the ups-and-downs of the non-professional game, Hall is excited about where he’s at right now.
“The reason I’m here is because I realistically believe that we have a team that’s capable of winning this championship,” he says.
“I made it very clear to our board of directors that if they weren’t willing to put together a squad that can do that, then I’m wasting my time.”
That statement seems to have opened a few eyes as Hall has bolstered his squad in anticipation of this tournament, adding Colin Marshall of the UK and a trio of Serbians alongside 2013 OFC Champions League Golden Boot and Ball winner Sanni Issa of Nigeria.
How the team pulls together will be witnessed this afternoon when they take to the field, but Hall is confident.
“We’ve assembled a team that I think, on paper, is one of the best teams. Now it is up to us to show what we can do, and perform.”
Amicale FC and AS Dragon open the Group B proceedings this afternoon at Churchill Park in Lautoka, Fiji at 1pm. Their encounter will be followed by Auckland City FC and Nadi FC at 4pm.

Share