Gavin joined the JSSL Singapore when he was 18 as a "cone guy" before becoming the general manager in 2016.[2] Gavin is also the youngest ever head coach in the history of the Singapore Premier League. Typically, football coaches in Singapore usually embark on their coaching career only in their late thirties, after ending their playing careers. As a young football coach, Gavin admitted that a consequence of his daily routines is that he “does not have as many friends as others”.
Since he was 17, Gavin has been a football coach. He worked his way up from the grassroots, coaching children as young as five at JSSL.
As a teenager, Gavin was skillful enough as a footballer to make it into the now-defunct National Football Academy. But after seeing the talent of his batch mates, such as Gabriel Quak, Hariss Harun and Izwan Mahbud, Gavin knew he would not be able to keep up. “It was also at that point that I realised I couldn't cope academically, so I decided to choose a different path,” Gavin shared. He turned to coaching because his father had been a coach since he was young. Apart from doing his coaching badges from the basic grassroots courses to the introductory courses and the more elite AFC (Asian Football Confederation) ‘A’ diploma licence, Gavin also had to get his degree.
Playing career
When Gavin was much younger, Gavin would often walk from his block at Tampines Central, pass through Tampines interchange, and make his way to Tampines Stadium for football training. He played for the Tampines under-8s, as well as the under-10s, teams that his father coached at the time.
Gavin was Warriors FC's assistant coach in their title winning season in 2014. Gavin left the club in October 2015.[2]
Tampines Rovers
In 2018, Gavin joined Tampines Rovers as an assistant coach under head coach Kadir Yahaya.[2] The following year, in 2019, he became their head coach despite lacking the required Asian Football Confederation 'A' License to become the head coach.[3][2] Lee was appointed as head coach based on his past performance as Warriors FC's assistant coach and impressed Tampines Rovers' staff and players with his knowledge.[2]
On 16 June 2021, Gavin has extended his contract until 2024.
Singapore
On 7 March 2024, Gavin was invited to be part of the backroom staff of the Singapore national team by the newly appointed Japanese head coach Tsutomu Ogura for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification match against China.[4] On 11 June 2024, Gavin was appointed in charge of the national team against Thailand after Ogura tested positive for COVID-19.
When Gavin Lee was in university, he was often labelled as an “old man”. That was because instead of heading to suppers and parties with his peers, Gavin regularly turned down invitations because he needed to rest and wake up early for work the following day. He was working as a coach at private football academy JSSL then.
In June 2011, Gavin was issued a AFC 'C' Coaching License at the age of 21. He then went on to get the AFC 'B' Coaching License in July 2015 before finally getting to the highest achieving license, AFC 'A' Coaching License in January 2020.
