Critics, Carlo, little pitch invaders and reaching for the top ... Q&A with Rotherham United Women manager Adam Rawlings
ADAM Rawlings is the new manager of Rotherham United Women. He started in women’s football in 2018 as first team coach of University of Sheffield Women, gaining a good insight working with players from the likes of Arsenal and Nottingham Forest. Adam, from Loughborough, was first team manager at Rossington Main and before that the head coach at Qualitas Sport, a football academy and scholarship provider.
WHERE ARE YOU AND WHAT CAN YOU SEE RIGHT NOW
I’ve just pulled into the big Tesco in Sheffield.
BEST THING ABOUT BEING A FOOTBALL COACH
Imparting your ideas into the players and it’s sink or swim.
MOST FRUSTRATING THING ABOUT BEING A FOOTBALL COACH
Football is a world where everyone thinks they can do better, regardless of background. That’s a big frustration because critics can be a bit unfair sometimes without knowing the full context of everything that goes into it.
FAVOURITE ALL-TIME FOOTBALL FIGURE
Player, Michael Ballack. Coach, Carlo Ancelotti.
FAVOURITE ALL-TIME SPORTING FIGURE
Roger Federer.
FAVOURITE OTHER SPORT
Tennis. I still play now recreationally. It’s a good release.
FAVOURITE FOOTBALL GROUND (outside Rotherham)
Stamford Bridge because that is the home of Chelsea, the team I support.
MOST UNUSUAL OR FUNNY THING YOUV’E WITNESSED AT A FOOTBALL MATCH
There’s always a young child that runs onto the pitch. Then you always see the parent running on after them. That’s probably the funniest thing.
UNUSUAL HOBBY
I am a supercar instructor/driver. It’s for an experience day company called Everyman Racing.
FIRST SPORTING MEMORY
It was when I was eight-years-old. I won the East Midlands County Championships at 100m hurdles. That was my first significant memory.
GUILTY PLEASURE
Chocolate.
FAVOURITE FOOD
Lasagne/pasta or any variation of that.
FAVOURITE MUSIC
I’m actually not a very musical person. If I’m listening to something it will be a podcast, not a musical thing. I listen to music in the gym but would I listen to it anywhere else? Probably not.
FAVOURITE BOOK
Carlo Ancelotti’s autobiography.
FAVOURITE TV PROGRAMME AND FILM
TV programme would be Suits, the series about law. I’m not a massive film person but it would by a John Wick film of any description. More of an action flick.
FAVOURITE PODCAST
FC Bullard. There’s a big balance between fun and football. The High Performance podcast is another and Stick to Football (with Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, Jill Scott, Ian Wright and Roy Keane). Those three are up there.
IF YOU COULD CHANGE PLACES WITH ONE PERSON IN SPORT, WHO WOULD IT BE
Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA. I would imagine the insight you would get into the world of football from that vantage point would be pretty unreal.
WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE ROTHERHAM UNITED WOMEN’S TEAM IN FIVE YEARS’ TIME
Obviously, at the very top. I think we are a club with the ability and the structure to be able to do that. At the more emotional level I just want us to represent what is a massive club in South Yorkshire and represent it really well on and off the football pitch. I think if we do those things we should be there or thereabouts in five years’ time.