By Julius Jumah – from Reims Centre de Vie Raymond Kopa training ground in Reims, France
Will Still is no stranger to European football, a 31-year-old Belgian manager who has already made a name for himself despite lacking the requisite papers and licenses. Just how much could he achieve if he obtained them?
Born on October 14, 1992, Will Still is a Belgian professional football manager currently serving as the head coach of Reims, the club where Harambee Stars defender Joseph Okumu plays, having joined them in the summer from Belgian outfit KAA Gent for €12 million.
Still has one of the most unconventional backgrounds in football. His initial foray into managerial roles came through a computer screen, where he first experienced building teams and delivering team talks in Football Manager.
“There was nothing better than that, even if it was virtual,” he reminisced.
Still’s path to top-level management is far from ordinary – an Englishman who grew up in Belgium, he began coaching at a community college in England before assuming the role of Under-14s coach at Preston North End as part of his studies. Upon returning to Belgium, Still started as an opposition analyst for Sint-Truidense.
By the age of 24, Still found himself in a head coach position at second-tier outfit Lierse before the club faced bankruptcy. He swiftly transitioned to a job at Beerschot in the Belgian top flight, gaining renown as something of a managerial prodigy by this point.
Vincent Kompany sought Still to be part of his coaching staff at Anderlecht. Although Kompany didn’t get the assistant he desired, Still acknowledges the former defender as an influence.
Nevertheless, Still stands at the forefront of modern management, known within football circles for his innovative methods.
One such approach involves awarding points to players during every training session, with the player accumulating the fewest points and buying a meal for the rest of the squad. This fosters ultra-competitive drills, translating into match intensity.
“Yes. The three players with minimum points at the end of every month take the entire team for lunch and foot the bill,” Joseph Okumu confirmed to Yours Truly.
Initially appointed on an interim basis after the dismissal of Oscar Garcia until the 2022 World Cup, Still is now shaping Reims in his own image. He has revamped the club’s style of play and was officially appointed in June 2023 until the summer of 2025.
Until mid-last year, Reims incurred a €25,000 fine for every match Still managed due to his lack of necessary coaching qualifications for a Ligue 1 manager. However, the fine ceased when he enrolled in coaching classes and began the process of obtaining the required licenses and papers.
“No, that fine has finally come to an end as the Pro Licence course that I’m on has started. I have not finished it, but I’ve started it and I’m enrolled in it, so it’s ongoing,” Still confirmed in an interview with talkSPORT.
ALSO READ: How Reims struck gold by signing Joseph Okumu
It’s undeniably peculiar that Football Manager served as such a significant inspiration in Still’s career, but the computer game evidently provided him with a solid foundation in coaching.
This revelation won’t astonish those familiar with the game, which is built around data and information from real-world scouts.
For now, Still is currently scripting one of the most captivating underdog stories in French football, as well as one of the most impressive coaching resumes, which extends far beyond his Football Manager experience.
The writer is a Digital Sports Editor with eight years of experience in print, broadcast, and digital media.
