Jamie Vermiglio WILL be the manager of Chorley FC next season when they take on the challenge of National League football

Jamie Vermiglio WILL be the manager of Chorley next season when they take on the challenge of National League football.
Jamie Vermiglio. Photo credit: Stefan WilloughbyJamie Vermiglio. Photo credit: Stefan Willoughby
Jamie Vermiglio. Photo credit: Stefan Willoughby

The Magpies manager announced this week that he will continue to juggle being manager of the club alongside his demanding job as a headteacher.There had been speculation that Vermiglio may be forced to stand down after steering the Magpies to promotion from the National League North via the play-offs.The Chorley boss has always insisted that his position of headteacher of Locking Stumps Community Primary School, in Warrington, takes priority over his role at Victory Park.However, the fact that Chorley will remain a part-time club means he can continue with his work.He insisted that the part-time model is best for Chorley despite the fact that they will be playing in a division made up predominantly of full-time clubs Vermiglio revealed he loves his job as a headteacher. Indeed, just hours after watching his side beat Spennymoor Town 4-3 on penalties in the play-off final at Victory Park, the 36-year-old was back at school preparing for SATS week.And though he is the manager, he insisted Chorley's success this season has been a team effort with his assistants Andy Preece and Jonathan Smith helping him form a formidable management trio. Vermiglio said that the club's decision to stick to being part-time is not about him but about what is best for the club.With a core group of players who also hold down full-time jobs and also due to finance, the decision to remain part-time was agreed with co-owners Ken Wright and Graham Watkinson.In the longer term, Vermiglio has not ruled out the club going full-time."It goes without saying that my career and my teaching career is the thing that I have worked really hard for for the last 16 years," said Vermiglio, who plans to keep the nucleus of the squad which clinched promotion together. "Quite quickly I became head teacher, which was not through natural choice."It is not that I was that ambitious that I wanted to be a head straight away."But I was in a strong position in my career. I love my job."The football does come secondary to it a lot of the time."Obviously at some moments in my life I'm really focused on the football, like the play-off final weekend."I could not help but think about the football."But it is not just about me."It is about what is right for the club."I have spoken with Ken and Graham, and we feel quite strongly that the next step for the club is to keep the part-time model for the players because it is right for them at this moment in time."We have a really strong group. The vast majority of them have full-time jobs they are really committed too and that is where they earn their money, put the food on their table and pay their mortgages."So we are committed to keeping a part-time model."That is not saying in the future that we will not look to a hybrid. Three nights or whatever."Even in the 2019/20 season we may look and think there is an opportunity to be in for an extra day."That will be discussed with the players because it is important, at this moment in time, that they are part of the decision making process."At this moment in time we think we have enough in the squad and adding a few more to be able to compete in the league above and give a really good account of ourselves."The long term plan is that realistically if we really want to compete and push for promotion and look at League Two."Then a full-time model is something to be looked at."He added: "To be honest this season what we have had is me, Preecey and Smudger."I'm proud to be called the manager of the club but we are a management team."The final decision does lie with me but we have a joint, collaborative approach with all three of us so it will not be any different next season."There were some games this year where Jonathan Smith has not come because it has been best for him to watch a club or a player."So it will just change around a little bit, hopefully not too much but if it happens then we will cross that bridge when it comes to it."Vermiglio said Preece is looking into taking on a full-time coaching role within the club's new education programme.That full-time role could allow Preece to travel down earlier with the squad if they face overnight trips to the likes of Dover and Torquay.For Vermiglio travelling is something they will need to address but with the new fixtures still to be released it is something the manager cannot plan for just yet, but he stressed that they will make it work.He said: "I think travelling will impact us. No doubt about that."Saturdays will be no problem. Saturday in the life of a part-time footballer is football day."It does not matter if you need to meet at 1pm or 8am the day is pretty much dedicated to preparing right for football."Saturday games will not make too much of a difference."Obviously realistically we will have to have a stopover at the likes of your Dover, Torquay then we will leave Friday evening and get down there to wake up and relax a little bit."The problem comes on a Tuesday night or a Friday night if you are scheduled to play somewhere of a significant distance."I'm not 100% sure right now how that will work for me."Obviously I will do my very best to get there and I will leave straight after school."We are lucky with other developments at the club, we are able to employ a few full-time people."At this moment in time we have Andy Preece who does a lot of community work for us."He is looking at taking over a coaching role for the education programme."He will still be one of my assistant managers along with Jonathan Smith but he will have a bit more capacity."It has not been one hundred percent discussed but there is a possibility of Preecey travelling down with the players."Going a little bit earlier and a group of players or myself leaving later."We just need to look at the fixtures when they are released and plan ahead and see where it takes us."