Filling the shoes of Belconnen United's decorated coach Antoni Jagarinec would be daunting to most, but 23-year-old Ahmed Ugool is creating a legacy of his own.
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Ugool was thrust at the helm of Belconnen's NPLW program just a week before the season started, given the task of leading the Capital Football powerhouse to a 10th straight title.
But the young mentor unphased by the pressure of filling Jagarinec's shoes, having been part of the Blue Devil's women's program four years.
An ex-player himself, Ugool start coaching after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2017. He took on an assistant coach role at the club's under-16's development side and after that, never set foot on the pitch as a player again.
"[When] my ACL was good enough to play and my knee was fine, I just enjoyed coaching too much so I stayed," Ugool said.
"But I know the program, I know the club - I've played at the club, coached at the club, it's all I know. It's been almost a seamless transition for me.
"You play football and you coach football to enjoy, if you feel too much pressure then I don't think it's for you really. But I enjoy everything, I would say more excitement and more enjoyment than pressure."
Ugool has had to face the toughest competition the NPLW has seen in his first season as head coach, with Canberra Croatia, Canberra Olympic and Gungahlin United all fighting for the title.
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While toppling these teams is his biggest challenge yet, Ugool is happy for what the tight finish will do for the competition's future.
"When you have more teams that can compete it just provides more competition for the league in general and it makes teams want to be better," Ugool said.
"I think in the years to come we will see seven or eight teams that can all compete and be fighting for trophies at the end of the season. It's such a positive for the league that we have this."
Belconnen suffered their first loss of the season last week to Croatia and will be looking to bounce back against the fourth-placed Canberra Olympic at Hawker on Saturday.
Ugool says they've trained hard in response, knowing they have a finals series to compete for.
The Blue Devils sit second on the ladder but face a tough opponent in Olympic, who boasts former Canberra United pair the Sykes sisters.
"Everyone is excited to play the Sykes sisters, Nicole and Ash obviously. Really really talented players, I actually used to play with Ash in the under-16's, so I think that's a nice thing," Ugool said.
"I think they're some of the best talents to come out of Canberra and they're doing a great thing for the league."
CAPITAL FOOTBALL NPLW
Round eight: Saturday - Belconnen United v Canberra Olympic at Hawker Football Centre, 4.30pm. Sunday - Canberra Croatia v Tuggeranong United at Deakin Stadium, 2.30pm. Gungahlin United v Wagga City Wanderes at Gungahlin Enclosed, 3pm. Canberra United Academy v Monaro Panthers at Hawker Football Centre, 4.20pm.
NPL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Round one: Group A: Saturday at Deakin Stadium - Gungahlin United v Belconnen United at 1.30pm. Canberra Croatia v Tigers FC at 3.45pm.
Group B: Sunday at Riverside Stadium - Canberra Olympic v Woden-Weston at 1.30pm. Tuggeranong United v Monaro Panthers at 3.45pm.
