I am lucky to have coached players of all ages – Mumbai City FC’s Petr Kratky

Mumbai City FC’s manager Petr Kratky feels he is lucky to have coached players of all ages. The 42-year-old recently led the Islanders to glory in the Indian Super League 2023-24 as they lifted the title by beating Mohun Bagan Super Giant by 3-1 in the final.

Meanwhile, after relocating to Australia, Kratky did jobs like washing dishes and bartending to make ends meet. There were a lot of challenges that Kratky had to face but he was able to get through the tough times.

“I washed plates and dishes, then when my English became slightly better, I worked as a waiter and even did bartending shifts,” Kratky explained in his recent interview with the Indian Express. 

Kratky led Melbourne City to consecutive A-League Men’s Premiers titles in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons and grew in confidence.

The 42-year-old said, “When I started working as a coach, I started with the youngest and gradually went to the higher ages. While it’s been a long journey because you have to go through all the age groups, it has taught me how to connect with all kinds of players. When we were coaching 30-45 kids in one session, you had to find a way to send your message across. Kids, youth, and seniors have different mindsets and I’m lucky to have coached all ages which has definitely helped me here in Mumbai because we have players of different age groups and mindsets.”

Kratky took over the coaching reins for Mumbai City FC from Des Buckingham and has filled in the big shoes with great success. The Islanders boss revealed how he could not spend time with his wife but at the same time, he is thankful for all he has achieved.

“Since getting married over three months ago (in January), I’ve spent only eight days with my wife. It’s not easy for anyone to work abroad and get separated from the family. But again, we are lucky enough to have the technology now these days where we can talk daily. It makes it much easier but not perfect because for me family always comes first,” he stated.