Non-League and Academy football writer

(Tani is pictured on the left, with FC Baresi’s founder and club chairman, Amjad Mahmood.)

In a new series of articles on non-League and grassroots football, I’ll be writing footballing articles on some of the coaches and managers of the non-League and grassroots game. Syed Tanveer “ Tani ” Hussain as a football coach, is someone who is vastly experienced in the game. Having been involved in football in various capacities for many years, Tani is now the assistant manager of step 6 side FC Baresi, whose senior team are currently playing in the Thurlow Nunn League First Division South. One of Tani’s first coaching roles was with the FC Baresi Under 15s side, over 20 years ago, and it is very fitting that he has returned to the club in recent years, during the most successful period in their first team’s non-League footballing journey.

Tani was an academy director and coach at Asianos Academy, he has worked with Troy Townsend at the S&T Academy, as an assistant manager, and he was also the head-coach of Walthamstow Red Star FC, for a time. However, in even more recent years Tani was the technical coach and first team coach at FC Leytonstone, prior to linking up with FC Baresi once again, as the Under 23 side’s technical coach in 2022. Tani is someone who dedicates a lot of his time to Saturday and Sunday football, with Tani also being the technical and head-coach of the very talented Essex Corinthian Sunday League side East London Ballers. I have heard a lot about East London Ballers, and I’m hoping to get to one of their matches this season.

Going back to FC Baresi, and Tani was promoted to the role of interim first team manager towards the end of the 2022/23 Essex Alliance Football League Senior Division season, when FC Baresi finished as runners-up to Brimsdown FC, in the league standings. However, in the very successful time since, Tani been a very prominent member of the club’s coaching staff. Last season, as head-coach, he worked closely with the then player-manager Romuald Boco and the sporting director Tufail Amjad, as FC Baresi’s first team won their respective step 7 league in superb style, playing brilliant and fast paced football. And this season, the club’s first ever season at step 6 of the non-League system, Tani (as assistant manager) has been working with first team manager Tufail Amjad, and first team player-coach Marvin Hamilton, as the club get used to playing their football in the Thurlow Nunn League First Division South.

Tani is very good tactically as a coach, and he is also a very motivational and encouraging coach, who leads by example from the touchlines, and who is clearly very well respected by all of the players at FC Baresi. As someone who covers many different leagues and levels of non-League and grassroots football, over the last season or so, I have covered a really good number of FC Baresi’s games at both step 7, and now at step 6. Last season I got the opportunity to interview FC Baresi’s chairman Amjad Mahmood and also Tani Syed, for a piece that I wrote on the club (you can check that in-depth piece out on my blog). 

I must say that FC Baresi are without doubt one of the most welcoming clubs, whose games I’ve ever had the pleasure of covering, and Tani has always been very good to me. He is a top, top guy, who has achieved some great things in grassroots football, and in non-League football as well, and he is someone who I have a lot of respect for, and who should be very proud of his footballing achievements, so far. This season (2024/25), has been one in which FC Baresi have been learning about the very competitive Thurlow Nunn League First Division South. They are currently in 14th place in the league standings, after 13 league games played. However, it’s still very early days in the season, and FC Baresi have another big game this coming Saturday at home to Dunmow Town, at Wodson Park. That should be a fantastic game of football for fans of non-League football to watch.