Escaping the spotlight of Europe to the relative anonymity of Australia was accompanied by a number of initially unaccounted benefits for outgoing Melbourne Heart FC Head Coach John van ‘t Schip.
Escaping the spotlight of Europe to the relative anonymity of Australia was accompanied by a number of initially unaccounted benefits for outgoing Melbourne Heart FC Head Coach John van ‘t Schip.
Foremost of which was an atmosphere conducive to building a Club, instilling a culture and establishing a legacy that has enabled the Red and White half of Melbourne to emerge as standard bearer for youth development, providing a blueprint for the future.
With the glare of the public eye minute in comparison to the level of scrutiny football clubs are subjected to in Europe, van ‘t Schip was able to chart a course for the future unhindered by pressure accompanied by undue expectation.
Describing the European football scene as ‘faster in every sense, van ‘t Schip praised the faith demonstrated by the Heart board and management in enabling him to pursue his vision.
”[Here] they let you work, they let you do the things that you believe in and from the outside there’s a lot less complications. That’s one of the things for me that was very nice to experience,” he said.
Ultimately however, van ‘t Schip conceded his affinity with the Australian mentality and way of life was insufficient to persuade him to remain in Melbourne long term, admitting the lure of a return to Europe proved too strong to overcome.
“I see my path now (being) somewhere else, I don’t know yet where and what it’s going to be,” he said.
“But I will take, for sure, all the happy moments and the good feeling with me. It’s something I will never forget.
He added: “I know that I don’t see my future in Australia to live here (for life); I’ve got too much of a background in Europe.
“With other personal things going on, family and my daughter, I made the decision with my wife to go back.
“At the end, we’re all professionals and we all have to make decisions like I’m making now … and we head on and follow our path of life. That’s how it goes.”
