Valmentajaesittely - Conor Edwards

Conor Edwards

Since joining the club, Conor’s role has involved coaching both the First Team and the now P18 team. He have led the First Team's planning, coaching, and development while supporting the P18 in similar activities. He have been in Oulu since January 2023, completing two full seasons in charge. During that time, the Junior team has secured back-to-back BSM qualifications, and the First Team has secured its place in Miesten Kakkonen, despite having one of the league’s youngest squads.

The Hercules First Team heavily depends on young players, promoted from the Junior club or recruited from external clubs, to operate and compete. This presents challenges but also offers a great opportunity to showcase young talent from within our club and local community. Many players have moved on to higher leagues at a young age, thanks to the exposure and experience gained in our team. With one of the league’s smallest budgets, we continue to compete with teams spending large sums on local and international players. The club will keep recruiting and working on squad improvement, but a significant portion of the team will always consist of promoted junior players from the P18’s. Training and recruitment are underway for the 2026 season, as we aim to retain the core of the team while adding more talent. For 2026, most of the squad will still be between 16 and 24 years old. Our main goals are maintaining our league position and providing local players with exposure and development opportunities.

The 2025 season was challenging. We started positively with four wins in our first five games, but then experienced a long winless streak. Ultimately, we did enough to secure 7th place by winning key matches. Despite the difficulties, many players made progress—some earning first-team minutes after promotion from P17, with many working hard on their development. Highlights included impressive away performances and our run in the Suomen Cup against AC Oulu, which we hope to improve upon in the future. Our goal is to continue improving and advancing both on and off the pitch. The First Team aims to have most of their squad ready by the end of January, with training games starting in February as we implement our ideas for 2026. Season tickets are available, and we appreciate all the support as we prepare for the new season.