Alex rubs shoulders with former England striker Alan Shearer

A JERSEY football coach is aiming for the Premiership after having huge success at the helm of his university team.

Alex Huelin (24) set up the team in September 2007 when he started a business degree at the University of East London. Under his command as player-manager, the team have posted some great results, including a 4-3 win against a Watford academy side and a 9-3 victory against a subsidiary team of Chelsea’s academy.

Alex coached St Peter’s youth academy in Jersey before going to university, where he took the reins of the first and second football teams.

While in Jersey, he studied for several coaching certificates under Brian Oliver and is now a UEFA B coach. He is hoping to take a professional licence with a club just down the road from his university.

‘I’m making an application to take my pro licence with West Ham,’ Alex said. ‘I worked there in catering for a while, and I even got to play on the Upton Park pitch, which was a great experience.’

Alex now manages several semi-professional and professional players, including a player from Newcastle United’s academy, a Romanian player and an under-21 Welsh international. But he is hoping to have even more illustrious players under his wing in the future as he aims to make it to the top.

‘I want to be a Premiership manager one day,’ he said. ‘People like Arsène Wenger studied at university and went into football management, but my hero is Harry Redknapp because of his success with Portsmouth, West Ham and Spurs.’

The sports development officer at the University of East London, Katy Hollands, said that Alex had helped the university teams to win leagues in the Southern England Sports Association and progress in the British Universities and Colleges Sport leagues.

‘The football club would not be where it is today without all the effort Alex has put in,’ she said.