Russ Ralph has swapped the south of China for the south coast of England and he is living the football dream.

Readers of The Local Answer will know that Russ is a well respected local youth football coach, who over the past year has achieved a lifetime’s ambition by making a full-time living out of the sport.

After spending some nine months in two spells coaching youngsters in Shenzhen China – a city roughly the size of London in a province the size of the UK which is about 90 minutes’ train journey just north of Hong Kong – Russ, who is in his late 50s, returned to this country in October. Since then he has taken a job coaching for the Argyle Community Trust, an organisation which is linked closely with League One football club Plymouth Argyle.

“I coach for roughly about 30 hours a week, it’s great,” said Russ. “I am coaching football at the club’s development centres in and around the Truro/St Austell area of Cornwall.

“I head up one of the centres myself at Brannel near St Austell with 45 kids on our books. My other roles include going into local Cornish schools where I put on PPA lessons – which is time set aside for teachers to carry out planning, preparation and assessment which helps relieve their existing workload – plus after-school clubs sessions such as rugby and basketball as well as my beloved football.”

Russ is an experienced youth football coach – he coached the youngsters at West Bromwich Albion’s Gloucester Development Centre, as well as a long-term servant at grassroots level with Gloucester-based FC Highnam Football Club before heading out to China.

But working in primary schools on a daily basis is something that is very new to him.

“I’m delivering different educational topics into each of the 10 schools, that I cover,” explained Russ, whose previous job in England was as a sales manager for a Five Valley Labels, who are based in Stonehouse, near Stroud.

“It’s been a true learning cycle for me, children’s behaviour within the schools is very different to what I am used to where safeguarding and educational standards are a very different culture.

“I’m used to kids coming to our clubs and centres who actually want to play football and develop. When I go into a school environment I can have a class of 30 pupils and within that class I will have 10 characters of whom don’t really want to do sport, another 10 who are very competitive and are keen to learn and others who do not really care what goes on in the session.

“So my delivery has to include everyone in the class, I have to tailor it to challenge all the different skill levels.

“I also use this opportunity to invite talented players to attend Plymouth Argyle’s Long Term Development Centres based in Truro, Brannel, Falmouth and Poole. This gives them access to more advanced structured coaching which will help them on the football talent pathway.”

Russ still lives in Hardwicke with his partner of 15 years Paula Sedgley, but currently he has to rent a small cottage in deepest Cornwall.

“I’m living in the small hamlet of Porkellis which is between Helston and Redruth,” said Russ. “I’m right out in the sticks. The local area has about 20 houses, three farms, two churches and most important of all The Star Inn which is the village pub. I also have a bit of Cornish history at the end of my road with the visitor centre of the Poldark Mine.”

For those who don’t know, Poldark Mine is the only complete tin mine in Cornwall open for underground guided tours and is regarded as one of the most historic locations in the history of Cornish mining.

With the chilled and relaxed manner of the locals – it’s a far cry from his time spent in the busy and hectic country of China, a job that came about through his work and association with the West Bromwich Albion`s Gloucester Development Centre.

Paul Gardiner, who heads up the WBA Development Centre based at St Peter’s School and is an academy coach at West Brom, made Russ aware of the opportunity to progress into full-time life in sport:

“It’s all down to Paul that I have experienced these amazing footballing opportunities,” said Russ. “We speak on the phone most weeks to catch up on the footballing gossip back in Gloucester. He has encouraged me all the way, our conversation time always seems to be in our free travel time as we both travel around the countryside.”