Ibrom, a Norwich City supporter and native of Hunstanton, Norfolk, was appointed captain of the South Pacific island off the coast of New Zealand earlier this week. He inked a deal that would last until 2026.
After working for the Major League Soccer (MLS) in America, being a member of Chelsea’s youth recruitment team abroad, and holding numerous football coaching and strategic positions in Oceania, this is Ibrom’s most recent challenge.
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Before starting his career overseas, Ibrom was an integral member of King’s Lynn youth program from 2006 to 2011. His urge to travel somewhere was greatly stoked while he was living at the Walks.
“I had spent a lot of time at King’s Lynn, and we were able to reach the Conference North with great success under Keith Webb’s leadership, an ex-Norwich.
“I wanted a challenge overseas since I thought I had reached the limit of the youth development program.
“Since I haven’t performed at a noticeably high level, I began the job search process abroad. And then it turned into this. It’s been enjoyable and difficult at the same time.
“Ibrom said to the Pink Un, ‘I wanted the opportunity to work abroad, but it took me two years.'”
“After that, the opportunity to visit New Zealand began this peculiar voyage that involved traveling back and forth between the two countries as national team coach, first to New Zealand, then to Mexico, then to Samoa, and last to the Cook Islands. It’s been done in an unusual manner.”
Ibrom was appointed national team coach after a period of time spent working as the Cook Islands’ technical director and supporting the growth of academy football there.
There are less people living in the Cook Islands than there are in Dereham, with a population of about 17,000. There are about 13,000 on Rarotonga’s main island.
Between 2011 and 2013, Jess Ibrom worked for Chelsea in their international academy recruitment process. (Photo credit: Jess Ibrom)
The population has suffered tremendously as a result of COVID, falling below its pre-pandemic level in 2020.
Therefore, finding talent and creating systems are challenging, but Ibrom is excited about the task as he gets ready to start training in the new year. His plan would include identifying talent from beyond the Island who can represent the country.
“The main issue is that we don’t play enough games, but we ought to play several this year, in 2024. Our first games, which are regional qualification matches against Samoa and Tonga, are in March, according to Ibrom.
“That tells you a story—we are ranked 185th out of 211 countries. I’m really interested in recruitment, and we recently hired a few scouts. That’s how we’re going about it. It hasn’t actually happened before, but we are looking at players who can represent the Cook Islands from all around the world.
“Next, the Cook Islands’ academy programs need to be developed. Due to our tiny population (about 17,000, if that), it presents significant challenges.
“In Fifa, we are the second-smallest member association. Our primary recruiting territories are Australia and New Zealand, but we’re also keeping an eye on the UK.
“I’ve already spoken to the internationally recognised players, and there’s not many, probably about 10, but I’m really excited about it.”
Ibrom’s immediate priorities include the March OFC Nations Cup Qualifying Tournament against Tonga and Samoa, which will give the Cook Islands a chance to compete against opponents of a better caliber.
Ibrom is concentrating on the long term and intends to add the next generation of talent to his international team, even if it would take quite the run for his team to play teams like New Zealand.
We may go up against New Zealand. We’re in the bottom four, generally with the Cook Islands, Tonga, Samoa, and American Samoa, so we’d have to go through some important qualification matches first,” he said.
“If we make it past our qualifying round against Samoa and Tonga in March, we’ll play Fiji, Papa New Guinea, and other teams in a larger pool.
These nations have more people and are more developed, so that would present a greater difficulty. We enjoy that every game will be difficult because we are a tiny team.”
Ibrom acknowledges that his career path has been unorthodox. Few English coaches travel this far in search of achievement.
He was very excited about the possibility of assisting in the growth of football in the Cook Islands throughout our phone talk. Ibrom is not intimidated by the low population and Fifa rating, unlike others.
“I seem to come into these really challenging roles,” he said with a grin. The role has not been very linear. Although my wife and I reside in New Zealand, I spend a significant amount of time on the Cook Islands.
“I enjoy taking on the challenge of traveling to football-underdeveloped nations because you know you can have a significant influence. The people are truly grateful for that. The locals have a great deal of faith in me since they understand that I’m here to work and provide young players with opportunity.
Ibrom is still in contact with his Norfolk routes even if he now resides on the other side of the globe.
Although he hasn’t been back since last year, he has previously visited Colney to catch up with old acquaintances and members of the local football community.
“Every time I come back I always try to reconnect with as many people as I can,” Ibrom stated. “I try to visit Norwich City whenever I have free time to catch up with Colin Watts, as we used to play games together.
My ties to Ipswich, Peterborough, and the surrounding area are deep.
“I really follow those clubs, and it’s a beautiful part of the world.” It’s encouraging to see the Championship chase as Norwich and Ipswich attempt to get back on track.”
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