Det är med stort vemod vi måste meddela att Ben Hanley avbryter sitt kontrakt med IFK Luleå som tränare för herrarnas A-lag efter veckans matcher mot Sandvik i serien och Skellefteå FF i Svenska Cupen.
Ben Hanley om sitt beslut:
-It’s with great sadness I must break my contract with IFK Luleå at the summer break. The reason for this is purely personal having a young family and being away from them for extended periods is just not working. I have to way up the priority of family over football which has been a very difficult decision to make. Those that know me personally would know that I’m a football man to my core so decisions like this are not taken lightly, säger Ben och fortsätter:
-It was my plan and hope to leave the club in the best possible position before I departed so it is a source of frustration to me that some results have not gone are way in the first half of the season. However, I fully expect the team to close the gap towards the top teams in the second half of the season. I will be watching and supporting the guys from a far to achieve this.
-I would like to say the support from the club has been first class, from the board/directors to the coaching team that have worked with me closely. All great people that have been a pleasure to work with and be around and have made me feel very welcome from day one. I will continue to be in contact with the club and try to help in any way I can moving forwards.
-Of course, I will miss working with the players on a daily basis the most of all, a good group of people who its been my pleasure to work with and learn from and my hope is they enjoyed having and learning from me also.
-Lastly, I would like to say that IFK Luleå is a great club with good ambitions and I hope they continue to strive forward both on and off the field. You can see from the youth teams up to the academy/first team the club has a real positive impact on the community and I hope that the club can continue to grow and reach it’s long term goals, avslutar Ben.
Jörgen Eriksson, ordförande IFK Luleå:
– Från IFK Luleås sida så har vi hela tiden arbetat för ett långsiktigt samarbete med Ben därför att han är en mycket kompetent och skicklig tränare med en stor erfarenhet, säger IFK Luleås ordförande Jörgen Eriksson, men vi respekterade så klart hans personliga situation med familjen kvar i London. Inget är större än ett välmående i familjen, vilket alla som har erfarenhet av barn kan skriva under på, fortsätter Eriksson.
– Vi har informerat spelarna och tränarteamet att vi arbetar med full kraft för att lösa tränartillskottet som tillsammans med Ihab Odeh ska leda laget under hösten, informerar Eriksson.
– IFK Luleå ska göra allt för att hösten ska inbringa fler poäng och att vi kan utmana Piteå i semifinal av Coop Norrbotten Cup och förhoppningsvis avancera i Svenska Cupen, avslutar Jörgen Eriksson.
Foto: Andreas Norlén
