Colum Curtis

Colum Curtis

Personal information
Full name	Colum Curtis
Date of birth	(1989-10-21) 21 October 1989 (age 34)
Place of birth	Belfast, Northern Ireland
Youth career
	Lisburn Youth
	Manchester United
	Notts County
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
	Cliftonville
	Donegal Celtic
	Glentoran
	Knockbreda
	Ards
	Loughgall
Managerial career
2019	PKR Svay Rieng (assistant)
2020–2021	Visakha FC
2023-2024	Kaya–Iloilo
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Colum Curtis is a Northern Irish football manager who is last known to have managed Visakha. Besides Northern Ireland, he has managed in Cambodia. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]}

Early life, playing career and education

Curtis was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on October 21, 1989. He attended St. Mary’s Christian Brothers Grammar School.  

In his youth, Curtis played as a central midfielder or winger for Lisburn Youth and attended Manchester United’s Academy from the ages of 9 to 15. Following his release from Manchester United, Colum made the move to Notts County in 2008, where he stayed for one season before returning to Belfast after the club was facing financial difficulty. Colum began coaching at his local grassroots club Immaculata F.C. He combined his coaching with his playing career, Colum represented his country at the U18 level and represented Northern Ireland in the 2013 and 2015 UEFA Regions Cup. He had spells with Cliftonville, Donegal Celtic FC, Glentoran FC, Knockbreda FC, Ards FC, and Loughgall FC before retiring at the age of 25 to take up a Full-Time coaching role in China.

Curtis began his UEFA Pro License in June 2021 and completed in November 2022. ^[8]

Managerial career

PKR Svay Rieng

Curtis was then appointed as the Assistant Coach to Connor Nestor at Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng FC in 2019, where he helped guide the club to the 2019 Metfone C-League championship.

At the end of the season, Curtis was unable to agree terms and parted ways with the club.

Visakha FC

Not long after, Visakha FC signed Curtis as Head Coach on a two-year deal for the 2020 campaign, where he won the Hun Sen Cup, in a convincing 2-0 victory over Nagaworld Fc in the final. This was the club's first major trophy. ^[9] During his tenure, Colum brought in marquee signings in the form of Canadian International, Marcus Haber, veteran Cambodian player Thierry Bin, and seasoned English journeyman Charlie Machell.

In 2021, Curtis’s Visakha team began to make headlines for their possession-based attacking style of play. He parted ways with the club, despite Visakha being at the top of the league. ^[10]

Kaya–Iloilo

In August 2023, Curtis was appointed as head coach of Philippines Football League club Kaya–Iloilo. ^[11]

Honours

PKR Svay Rieng

• Metfone C-League: 2019

Visakha FC

• Hun Sen Cup  : 2020

Individual

• Best Coach: 2020

References

1. "Meet Colum Curtis: Belfast's New Manager In Cambodian Football". balls.ie.
2. "Meet Colum Curtis, the West Belfast coach relishing his first managerial job 7,000 miles from home". belfastlive.co.uk.
3. "Who is Colum Curtis?". khmernights.com.
4. "Interview with Colum Curtis". khmertimeskh.com.
5. "Belfast native Colum Curtis is history maker after leading Visakha FC to cup glory in Cambodia". belfastlive.co.uk.
6. "អតីតគ្រូបង្វឹកវិសាខា Colum Curtis ខកចិត្តរឿងមួយ មុនចាកចេញពីកម្ពុជា". freshnewsasia.com.
7. "៥សំនួរជាមួយលោក Colum Curtis ក្រោយក្រុមវិសាខា ឈរកំពូលតារាងបណ្ដោះអាសន្ន". troryorng.com.
8. "Visakha coach accepted into UEFA Pro Licence programme - Khmer Times". 2021-03-28. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
9. "From Black's Road to cup glory in Phnom Penh - the future is bright for Colum Curtis". irishnews.com.
10. "C- League: Visakha abruptly parts ways with Irish head coach - Khmer Times". 2021-09-27. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
11. Co, Adrian Stewart (11 August 2023). "Kaya-Iloilo taps new coach, players". Panay News. Retrieved 11 August 2023.