New Delhi, Nov 4 (IANS): The Kalyani Group Tuesday appointed Stuart Watkiss as the head coach for its football team that will participate in the 2014-15 season of the I-League slated to begin Jan 17 next year.

The 48-year-old Watkiss, who holds the UEFA A and B coaching licenses will join the Pune-based club from Grimsby Town, a team playing in the Conference Premier division in Britain.

“Stuart has enormous coaching experience, a factor that can be very helpful for our side. His record with young upcoming players in all his previous assignments is very impressive and coupled with his ability of getting the best out of his team makes him the right choice as we aim to make a strong start in the I-League," Kalyani Group executive director Amit Kalyani said in a release.

"He brings along enormous coaching experience and a vision that I believe will set the club in the right direction. We are excited to have Stuart on board.”

Watkiss was most recently Grimsby Town’s youth team manager.

Having made his debut in the 1984-85 season with his hometown side Wolverhampton Wanderers, Watkiss has more than 450 appearances to his name with clubs like Crewe Alexandra and Mansfield Town among others.

Watkiss also served for three years as first team coach at current Premier League side Hull City FC.

“My passion is developing new players. Winning matches is the ultimate goal but creating a culture of excellence and commitment is something that I value and this assignment allows me to do that,” Watkiss said.