Jess Ibrom played
youth football with local village team Heacham Minors FC from Under
11s to Under 16s. A prolific goal scorer at U16s
level he had trials with Peterborough United, Northampton Town,
Yeovil Town, Hereford United, Gillingham, Bournemouth and Norwich
City as well as representing the West-Norfolk Schoolboys Squad.
He went onto play for Downham Town U18s.
He progressed into mens football playing for Wells Town
FC, Felixstowe Town and Dersingham Rovers, before beginning a
5 year coaching and playing spell in the United States. He worked
as a Player Development Officer developing and promoting football
within a youth football club over a 9 month period. He organised
formal coaching sessions, provided general help and assistance
to coaches, put on clinics for both children and adults as well
as overseeing a number of team camps. Was also a summer camps
coordinator heading camps within Connecticut, Massachusetts and
New Hampshire. He worked as the Girls Head coach at Gorham Middle
school in 2001 and as Girls Head Coach at North Yarmouth Academy
in 2002 in Maine.
Jess worked throughout the north-eastern side of the USA in the
states of New Jersey, Vermont, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania at
a wide range of venues delivering various football sessions and
clinics to youngsters aged 4-18 years old. He supported coaches
with Maine Metro Girls U12s and Odyssey Sport 97 Girls
U14s two premier soccer clubs in the state of Maine. These
sides won the State Championship and going on to represent the
state at the Snickers Regional Tournament. As well as coaching
full-time, he played semi-professional football with San Jose
Soccer Club a team based in New-Hampshire.
Jess was employed as the Kings Lynn's Community Development teams'
area manager for the Hunstanton/Wells region in 2003 and was taken
on in September 2006 as the Community Development Officer to manage
all aspects of the scheme from grassroots football through to
school initiatives and the Advanced Football program for both
boys and girls.
He had a role as Head of International Recruitment for the Houston Dynamo in 2013. He then became High Performance Academy Coach and Head of European Operations for Chelsea.
In 2013 Jess moved to New Zealand to become Academy Head Coach
at the Wellington Phoenix who compete in Australia's A-League.
His products have gone on to sign for Marseille, Burnley and Braga. He was the coach educator for the Oceania Football Confederation between 2016 and 2018 delivering coach education courses. He joined the Cook Islands FA in 2016 as Technical Director and National Teams Advisor. Ibrom prepared all areas of national team preparation. Managed technical staff in both Rarotonga and Aitutaki. As well as managing the strategic direction of the Member Association aligned to FIFA and OFC. He then returned to New Zealand in 2018 as Head Coach of Tasman United in the top tier of New Zealand football. In AUgust 2019 he became technical director of the Samoa Football Federation. Returning to New Zealand in 2023 he became Head of Football Development in the Central Otago region before becoming National Academy Director for the Cook Islands FA in July 2023.