Rossi Eames: From gymnast to football manager
Friday 1 September 2017 17:54, UK
Rossi Eames has had something of an unconventional route in football management.
Aged just 32, he was appointed as manager of Barnet on a permanent basis in May following two separate stints in charge on a temporary basis. Unlike most bosses in the EFL, however, there has been no professional career in Eames's past.
"From the age of six to about the age of 20/21 I was at a school of gymnastics," he told Soccer Saturday. "It was a massive part of my life and for 10 years I had a Slovenian gymnastics coach who taught me everything, from being a professional sportsman to being a professional person.
"There are a lot of things I took out of the sport. The way I used to eat, the way I used to recover and train, and I want to bring those ideas here, especially for the younger players coming through the academy system.
"I wasn't the most talented at all but I worked really hard, did the best I could and did okay out of it. It's a different route but one that I'm proud of. I did the European tour with my club and it was a great experience, seeing the way different cultures and countries lived, it was a real highlight of my sporting career so far."
A career in gymnastics coaching did not follow, however, as Eames felt he was in need of a change. Football felt like the right transition.
"I was at the end of my [gymnast] career in terms of where I was at mentally," he continued. "I thought I'd done enough and wasn't enjoying it quite so much anymore. I went to university to study and started a work placement at Leeds United.
"I then worked my way up around that club for the next three or four years, which is where I got into the football side of things, but I've always been a lover of the game from a very early age. I played at Chesham United and Amersham Town, and that was one of the reasons I decided on a fresh challenge."
Whether it's gymnastics or football management, Eames believes the key to success is hard work and dedication.
"I get up at about 5am and get here for half seven and I leave when I leave," he said. "There are days when I'm here until 10 or 11, and there are days when I'm out at six.
"You're always trying to be one step ahead of everything."
Watch the full interview with Barnet boss Rossi Eames on Gillette Soccer Saturday from 2pm on Sky Sports News
