Financially-stricken former EFL club make history by appointing first Sikh manager

The 30-year-old is also the youngest manager in the top five tiers of English football.

Posting to X, he said: "Extremely proud to be appointed as Manager of (Morecambe FC).

"Excited to get to work and build something special!"

The 30-year-old, who never played professional football and worked his way up the coaching ranks with a 10-year stint at Leicester, is one of the youngest coaches to earn the UEFA Pro Licence.

On becoming a first-team manager for the first time, he said: "It’s what I’ve wanted to do. It’s been my dream since I was 14 or 15 years old.

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"It’s every single day that’s been the target I’ve worked towards. But for me, now there’s a new target, and the target is to make sure Morecambe is successful as a club.

"Make sure this year we don’t just survive in the National League, we thrive."

A Morecambe statement said: "Ashvir Singh Johal arrives at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium with an excellent reputation as a forward-thinking coach and leader, bringing with him a wealth of experience in player development, tactical innovation, and building high-performance cultures.

"His appointment marks an exciting new era for the Shrimps as the club continues its journey under fresh ownership and renewed ambition."

Anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out applauded the appointment.

It said in a post on X: "History made. Congratulations to Ashvir Singh Johal on becoming the first Sikh manager in professional football.

"Fully deserved and also a significant milestone for representation in leadership within the game."

He replaced Derek Adams, who was sacked on Monday - just a day after new owners Punjab Warriors completed the takeover which saved the club from extinction.

Morecambe, who were relegated from Sky Bet League Two last season, have had their first two National League games postponed after being suspended for failing to comply with the league’s rules.

Despite the uncertainty of the immediate future, the new boss is looking to the long term.

"The immediate priority right now is going to be to identify the players that we need in this building to ensure Morecambe Football Club can perform well in the National League," he said in an interview with the club’s official website.

"I think the short-term plan this year is to make sure that we retain our place in the National League by playing exciting, energetic football and working hard. I think that is a short-term aim.

"The long-term aim is to build the processes, the infrastructure. There’s a clear commitment from the owners about the direction they want the club to go in.

"OK, now it’s about building, and it’s about growing and making sure that in three, four, five years’ time, this is a completely energised and galvanised more football club that thrives in the EFL."

The Shrimps were at risk of "immediate closure" due to a financial crisis after talks to buy the 105-year-old club fell through a number of times.

The club have been relegated twice in the past three seasons and were officially put up for sale in September 2022 by owners Bond Group.

Sports investment company Panjab Warriors had been in talks to buy the club from owner Jason Whittingham for more than a year, with a deal looked set to be concluded earlier this summer.

However, those talks stalled after Whittingham said he was in discussions with other potential investors and, as tensions escalated, each party issued accusatory statements about the other.

The acquisition of the club by Panjab Warriors was recently officially completed.