Rush Soccer continues to make strides in being the leading youth soccer organization in the world and Rush Soccer Director of Coaching Education, Matt Saul, is thrilled to announce the launch of a coach Mentor Program run by Rush Soccer.
The program, open to any Rush coach or staff member beginning in July 2017, is holding a six-month pilot class starting this month.
The program features a multi-platform approach to coach education, designed to educate rising coaches in a Rush-specific context. Candidates have an assigned mentor from Rush and will participate in online coaching education, an apprentice coach experience with the Rush Select Program, and practical evaluation opportunities coinciding with Rush Summit and Rush Fest in July.
The mentees and mentors are as follows:
Mentees - Alejandra Flores (California), Fabrice Gautrat (Georgia), Jen Lozano (Virginia), Nicole Lukic (Wisconsin-West), Justin Miller (Colorado/SPI), and Dan Pinkerton (Connecticut)
Mentors - Arian Hoxha (Hawaii), Brian Lux (Colorado-Pikes Peak/SPI), Andy Machin (Washington), Matt Mittelstaedt (Virginia), Laila Modi (Phoenix), Tim Schulz (Colorado/SPI), and Justin Sells (New Mexico)
Other program roles include:
Steve Davis, Technical Staff (Virginia)
Lauren Meehan, Program Manager (Colorado/SPI)
Chris Panayiotou, Technical Staff (Virginia/SPI)
Nik Penn, Pilot Program Test Participant (Colorado-Pikes Peak/SPI)
“Chris Panayiotou initiated the wonderful idea for this program and I am thankful for the support and energy of the Mentor Program staff, Rush Soccer President Tim Schulz, and the group of top-class mentors who have made this program possible,” Saul said.
Saul continued, “We believe so strongly in developing coaches in the Rush Way and this program will make each coach better, their home clubs better, and all of Rush better. Especially with how costly coaching license programs can be, this really makes coaching education accessible and effective in a long-term, practical environment.”
The full Mentor Program will begin July 2017 and run for 12 months. Applications will open in late spring/early summer.