A lot of English managers would struggle to point to Cambodia on a map, let alone agree to coach in the South East Asian country.
The latter is a challenge Alistair Heath, an ambitious manager from Birmingham, accepted when he took charge of Cambodian Premier League side Angkor Tiger last December. It's the 37-year-old's first job in management and he's determined to be a success.
"I want to prove to the footballing world that I can manage," Heath tells Mirror Football . The Englishman has certainly taken an unconventional route, having previously worked as an academy coach at several clubs in the EFL and Premier League.
Heath's managerial journey started in 2004 when he joined non-league outfit Buxton as a first-team coach. During his five-year spell at Buxton, he also worked as an academy coach at Sheffield Wednesday, Macclesfield Town and Birmingham City.
A spell coaching in South Korea followed before returning to England for stints at West Brom and Leicester, spending six years at the latter club. So why did he decided to ditch a successful coaching career in England for a little-known club in Cambodia?
"No disrespect to the place, but before I got the offer I think I must've heard of Cambodia but never talked about it," Heath explains. "I'm a young football coach that's trying to make a breakthrough into management. It's tough, even if you've played professional football - and I haven't. [I've got] no real divine right to kind of expect that I'm going to get a manager's job in England or Europe, so it was a case of taking this on.
"It could be my only chance, but it could create more chances. It's a big risk, obviously, because you're relocating to the other side of the world and I could potentially get sacked if things don't go well... but the rewards could be there if you do half decent."
Taking a job on the other side of the world is one thing, but being offered it is another. On how the opportunity arose, Heath explains: "I've spent many months and years trying to find an agent because without one, it would've been very difficult.
"I spoke to many - got let down by many - and then my current agents, Rookbooks Sports, knew of this team in Cambodia and the job came up. After two or three rounds of talking, I got offered the job. It took me two or three weeks to decide because it's not everyday you come to Cambodia or even talk about Cambodia. Nine months later, here I am."
For Heath, the ambition was always to become a manager. "When I went into coaching, I knew I wanted to be a manager. Why? I don't know, but I just wanted to be a manager. I had the vision of what I wanted to do from 17 years of age."
Yet Heath doesn't think more English managers will follow in his footsteps. "In my opinion - from being in and around the academies in England - is there's a lot of talkers and people in comfort zones. But actually to go and test yourself and take yourself out of that comfort zone, I don't think many people will do it.
"I think too many people want it easy - and this certainly hasn't been easy. I'm fortunate that I'm not married and don't have kids. If you're in that situation, obviously it's very difficult.... [it's a question of] how badly do you really want it? Fortunately, I badly wanted it."
Heath knows he'll need to prosper in Cambodia to get a chance in England. The standard of football in the country is developing each year, yet it's not perfect. The constant warm weather can be debilitating for players, while referees need to improve.
"I would say it's growing and I guess people like me and the foreign players that come here are trying to boost it... it's more popular than you think but because no one knows about Cambodia, you wouldn't have a clue."
Heath's side also need to improve. Angkor have made a steady start to the season, sitting sixth in the eight-team Premier League after 17 games. The campaign runs from March to October, with the top four teams continuing until December in pursuit of the title.
Angkor have never finished above fourth since entering the Premier League in 2014 and placed sixth last term. The challenge for Heath is turn the club into title contenders, giving Angkor's fanbase - one of the biggest in Cambodia - something to shout about.
Heath has enlisted the help of an ex-Leicester academy player to boost Angkor's attacking options. Jozsef Keaveny, now 22, joined the club in January and has scored six goals. They've also benefitted from Brazilian forward Gabriel Silva, who's found the net nine times.
"I want to make this team as successful as I can. Whether that's restructuring the whole club - which I'm trying to do by bringing through a lot of young players - and giving the team the highest league finish they've ever had. That could be this season, but hopefully next season [for sure].
"We've got the biggest fanbase. But in terms of structure and budget, we're pretty much the lowest. That's frustrating. I think the last game but one, we had 5,000 fans. We made history with the highest league attendance."
Although Heath is enjoying the challenge of managing abroad, the temptation to return to England will always be there. Yet he's got no interest in returning to academy football. "I want to manage at the highest possible level, wherever that is.
"If you can live in Cambodia, then you can live anywhere... it'd be nice to come back to England or Europe, but I don't particularly want to say, 'I want to get there or there' - it [my aim] is to manage at the highest possible level. That is where I'm looking to go and hopefully can achieve it. I'd like to think I've taken enough risks to get those rewards, but we'll see."
Right now, Heath's focus is firmly on turning Angkor into a formidable side. If he can do that, his dream of a long-term career in management might just be possible.
