Former Maidstone United skipper Steve Watt explains why he’s moved from football management into coaching American football

Former Maidstone United captain Steve Watt is turning his hand to a different sport - coaching American football.

The game may be different but the principles of coaching remain the same for Watt who managed Margate and Maidstone, the latter in a caretaker capacity, before leading Hythe to the Isthmian South East play-off final.

He still has plenty to offer in football management, should the opportunity arise, but right now he’s loving his work as part of the coaching set-up with the South East Legion.

The under-19 side won their league unbeaten last season.

And Watt, who is one of the defence coaches, is thoroughly enjoying transferring his skills to a different sport.

His son, Riley, is part of the Legion side, while daughter Alba plays flag football, the non-contact version of American football.

Their involvement took him along to Kent Phoenix - of which the Legion is a part - and months later he was invited to get involved on the coaching side.

He’s already completed one coaching course and is set to take another.

“Me being me, I do find it hard to say no, particularly a sport I love and was intrigued by,” said Watt, who is a huge NFL fan.

“Although I know the sport well, I’d never coached it before, so I needed to make sure I knew what I was talking about.

“I’ve loved it, absolutely loved it.

“I’ve always been of the opinion that if you can coach, you can coach near enough anything.

“One of the biggest challenges is getting your ideas across to players and getting them to carry out what you want them to do.

“How you deliver that to players entails knowing how to speak to certain players, knowing what certain players need and knowing how to break down certain things.

“With the American football, it’s a lot more