Des Buckingham's journey to Mumbai City success - via Oxford United and Oceania

English football manager Des Buckingham celebrates winning his first Indian Super League title as Mumbai City FC head coach

English football coach Des Buckingham is more than 5,000 miles from home, working in India's biggest city.

The 38-year-old is the head coach of Mumbai City FC of the Indian Super League, the country's top flight.

He recently led them to their second league title, their first under his leadership, with a record win and points tally.

"Trophies can define success in some ways," Buckingham told BBC South Today.

"But we scored more goals and amassed more points than anyone has ever done in the league before.

"It is the way that we went about the win and the records that were broken along the way that mean the most to me."

Buckingham, from Oxford, was named Indian football league manager of the year after winning the league title with games to spare.

But the club had to wait to celebrate the achievement with home fans, who were denied the opportunity last time they lifted the trophy.

"We won the league at an away game in Goa so we didn't get chance to celebrate with our supporters until the final game of the season at home.

"The last time we won it was during Covid, so there was no-one in the stadium.

"To be able to share the title moment with the fans this time was very special."

Opportunity to become head coach 'very tough' in England

Before arriving on India's west coast Buckingham built up his coaching experience and made a name for himself in New Zealand and Australia.

But his journey began with more humble beginnings in Oxford, after his playing career as a goalkeeper with his hometown team Oxford United, and nearby Reading, did not take off.

"As an 18-year-old coaching was never something I looked at as a profession," he added.

"At the time the reality is there weren't all the opportunities around that you have today.

"But I was fortunate that I had people like Les Taylor [former player and academy coach] and Micky Lewis [former player and manager] at Oxford United who got me very interested in what coaching could be and what it could look like."

Inspired, Buckingham decided to focus his efforts on what he could do off the pitch instead of on it.

He turned his attention to a coaching qualification and teaching position at a local college.

Four years of study gave him the experience he needed to gain proper coaching opportunities and he would join Oxford United to work with their youth squad, academy and eventually their first team.

Then a chance visit and a message from a former colleague changed everything.

"We had something called the Elite Player Performance Plan in 2012 and the FA came in and audited the club and looked at people working in those environments.

"I was a young 29-year-old at the time who had lived in Oxford his whole life but this guy asked me: 'What do you want to do and where do you want to go?'

"I knew I wanted to be a head coach one day but getting that opportunity was going to be very tough.

"I needed to learn about managing staff, budgets and reporting to a board, so I decided to go looking for a job that would allow me to gain those experiences.

"A former colleague who was working in New Zealand sent me a role for a football development manager and it ticked every single criteria I thought I needed to eventually take on a head coaching role in England.

"The initial plan was to go out there for 12 to 18 months to learn - but I ended up staying."

Being part of the City Football Group

Buckingham has coached in four countries and believes his success as a young head coach is down to his bold decision to gain experience away from England

Buckingham coached Wellington Phoenix in the A-League and would become the competition's youngest ever manager at the age of 31.

Following a very brief stint back in the UK with Stoke City's under-23s he returned to New Zealand and led the men's national side to the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020.

His success and profile was growing and he was snapped up by City Football Group - a company which includes Manchester City - to be the assistant coach on their club in Australia, Melbourne City FC.

So determined to keep their manager, New Zealand national team players wrote to the country's governing body to keep him.

But Buckingham carried his form to Australia and led Melbourne City to their first ever league title in his first season, closely followed by a cup win to achieve the double.

Then Mumbai City - also part of the Abi Dhabi-run City Football Group - and the Indian Super League came calling, and this journey through football management continued.

"The ISL is a competition that is now attracting some top quality young players and coaches," he said.

"Stadiums are often full - with anything between 30,000 to 50,000 fans on a weekly basis - it is a game that has really grown in the last 10 years and it is more visible, even in areas where cricket is most popular."

More ways to 'progress' coaching career now

Buckingham is grateful to Oxford United and their staff for his early coaching opportunities, but believes his rise to the top of India's football scene was only made possible by leaving the UK when he did in his twenties.

"I won't sugar-coat it, there has been a lot of hard work and sacrifice to get here.

"Taking the decision to go to New Zealand initially was out of my comfort zone and a real challenge.

"Looking back, if I had I sat in England I would've missed out on all these opportunities because back in 2013 the only real job was head coach.

"That has changed now and there are a lot more coaching opportunities in England.

"What I've done is just one way to progress a career, I found myself overseas and I wouldn't change that for the world, but there are lots of ways to progress your career now.

"I don't know what the future looks like but I do know I want to continue doing the best I can in Mumbai."