TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
John Thompson is a native of Penrith, England, he joined the South Jersey Barons in May 2002 and has been heavily involved in the community since his arrival in New Jersey. He joined the club after graduating from Lewis University (IL) where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems. John began his senior playing career with his local semi-professional team, Penrith, at the age of 16. He moved on to play for Queen of the South and Gretna before returning to Penrith for the 1996-1998 seasons. He then moved to America to join Lewis University where he was a 3 Time All-America First team award winner (1999, 2000, 2001) he signed pro with the Barons USL team and was a 2 Time ALL USL First team award winner (2004, 2005).

John began coaching at the Age of 16 for Penrith FC, he gained his FA Preliminary badge at the age of 17 from Newcastle United, straight away he started the First Touch Soccer Coaching company and owned the Coerver Coaching franchise for Cumbria. John has been coaching in South Jersey since 2002 with the South Jersey Elite Barons and he was the assistant coach of the Ocean City Barons PDL team in 2006 & 2007 and in 2017 he took the Head Coaching position for the Ocean City Nor'Easters PDL team and took them to a 12-4-1 record in his first season. His team took professional club Harrisburg City Islanders (now Penn FC) to penalties, loosing 6-5 in the US Open Cup first round. In the 2018 US Open Cup Thompson's Nor'Easter side beat USL Championship team Charlotte Independence 3-1 in a 2nd round upset before losing to USL Championship team North Carolina FC 4-0 in the 3rd round.

Recently two 2002 girls, Kylie Daigle & Faith Slimmer both of whom he coached from U7-U13 called up to the USYNT U14 and U15 National Teams. In the 2002 and 2003 girls age group Twelve of his players attended the New Jersey National Training Center.

John has been implemented many innovative programs with SJEB, such as Summer Select, Development Team, First Touch, Skills Classes and Junior Academy and in each case was the first club in South Jersey to do so. He is in his 20th year with the club.

U9 - U14 BOYS DIRECTOR OF COACHING
SJEB FC are pleased to announce the hiring of Christos Economopoulos as the SJEB FC Boys U9 - U12 Director of Coaching. Economopoulos brings excellent management skills along with an impressive work ethic to the club where his role will be to implement syllabus, and coaching methodology to those age groups.

"I'm really happy to be here at SJEB FC as director of coaching for the U9-U12 age groups. This is a great club with big potential, from the players to the coaches and all the staff."  "There is already a great structure in his club and I hope to add my characteristic and knowledge to continue  the player and coaching development".

Christos spent 7 years on the Ocean City Nor’easters technical staff serving several roles within the club notably as First Team Assistant Coach in 2017 and 2018 assisting SJEB FC Technical Director John Thompson. He worked as the clubs sports therapist offering his expertise in the fields of strength and conditioning, sports massage, and player recovery to ensure that every player on the roster is able to perform at optimum level throughout the season and a big part in helping the club win the  2013 USL PDL Mid-Atlantic Division Championship, the 2013 & 2016 USL PDL Eastern Conference Champions and reaching the 2013 and 2016 National Semi-finals. He spent two seasons with the Cedar Stars Academy USSDA Boys program as their Head of Sports Performance.

With both Greek and Irish heritage, Christos expertise in the physical and lifestyle aspects of a players development will be an asset to SJEB FC educating players and staff to ensure that players are provided with education and guidance to take their game to the next level.

After earning a National Certificate in Exercise and Fitness from the University of Limerick in his home nation of Ireland, Christos has also earned a professional qualification in Massage and Sports Therapy as well as UEFA C license and coaching licenses form the Football Association of Ireland (FIA).

U9 - U14 GIRLS DIRECTOR OF COACHING
We are pleased to welcome back to the club Dave Daigle to lead our U9 - U12 Girls age groups as Director of Coaching, Daigle played for the South Jersey Barons USL2 Team from 2004  - 2006 and was part of the unbeaten 2004 team with college soccer accolades from the University of Alabama-Birmingham and Rowan University. Daigle is the owner of C.R.E.A.D soccer training whose focus is to develop talent in Cumberland and Salem counties. Daigle has a Masters Degree in Education: Sports and Recreation Administration from Temple University and a B.S. in Business Specialisation in Marketing from Rowan University. Daigle's passion for soccer, training methodology and focus on curriculum makes him perfect for a DOC role.

"Truly excited to come back with SJEB FC and work with a committed coaching staff and proven club culture. I've always enjoyed working with the players at the basic stage of development to teach 7v7 and 9v9 principles of play. My personal approach to coaching is aligned to the philosophy of SJEB FC and I'm delighted to discuss and improve our style of play for the girls before they go full-sided."

U15 - U19 BOYS DIRECTOR OF COACHING
Returning to the club as Director of Coaching for the U15-U19 Boys age group is Rutgers University- Camden Head Coach and Ocean City Nor’easters Sporting Director Tim Oswald. Tim’s recent success includes Final Four appearances with both RUC (NCAA D3) and the Nor’easters (USL 2). Oswald coached the club's most decorated boys team in club history, the 1990/91 Boys team during their U16-U18 seasons.

Oswald will play an integral role in building the Boy’s program and player pathways to college, USL, and professional level, reporting directly to Technical Director John Thompson. Oswald will also be Assistant Director of our College Advisory Program assisting Bill Shute, with his focus on the Boys program, his roles include communication with college coaches, connecting players to coaches, and educating players and parents about the college recruitment process.

Oswald has garnered many awards and honors at Rutgers-Camden notably the 2013 NSCAA National Coach of Year, D3soccer.com National Coach of Year and Captain U National Coach of year in DIII with RU-Camden and 2012 USL 2 National Coach of the Year Finalist with Ocean City Nor’Easters. While with OCN, over 50 of his players signed pro contracts with 12 of them being drafted in the MLS.

On his return Oswald said  “I am looking forward to building out and rebranding the club on the boys side at SJEB FC. This incredible opportunity will allow me to have a unique grasp and handle on the game in South Jersey at the youth, college and USL 2 level while creating a player pathway that makes sense on a number of levels for our players. My relationships with college coaches at every level across the country will benefit the players immensely in assisting to find their “best fit” collegiate destination. My network at the professional level with the Ocean City Nor’Easters continues to grow and we can implement best practices daily in our training environment and structure. I can’t wait to get started and see where this journey takes us”.

U15 - U19 GIRLS DIRECTOR OF COACHING
Club stalwart Jeff Zoyac has been hired as Director of Coaching for the U15- U19 Girls age groups. Zoyac is Head Coach of Wilmington University Womens’ soccer program and became the fourth head coach of the women’s soccer program in its NCAA era. He took over the women’s program after being an assistant and associate head coach for Nick Papanicolas and the men’s program at Wilmington for the past 11 seasons.

Prior to coaching at Wilmington, Zoyac finished his collegiate career as a Wildcat, transferring from Rowan College after leading the Profs to a NCAA Division III National Semifinal appearance as a sweeper. Upon joining Wilmington in 2003, he led the Wildcats in scoring and was a crucial piece of their second CACC Championship. He finished his collegiate soccer career as an Honorable Mention All-CACC selection.

"I'm looking forward to working with all the players and coaches in the club in a more administrative position. I am excited about what John Thompson and the executive directors envision for the club moving forward and I feel that with the right attitude and approach we can move in a very positive direction. I want to thank and the entire board for offering me this position, I'm extremely honored and humbled."

Zoyac has been coaching girls’ club soccer at the NJ Rush & SJEB FC clubs since 2010. Under his tutelage, the U18’s girls’ team has claimed back-to-back U.S. Club New Jersey State Championships and has been ranked in the top-3 in the state in each of the past two seasons. Zoyac has also coached the U14 and U16 teams at NJ Rush, leading each team into the top-10 in the state.  Zoyac also assists Bill Shute with the Clubs College Advisory Program.

U7 - U8 DIRECTOR OF GIRLS JUNIOR ACADEMY
Veronica Rhea has done an outstanding job the past 4 years with the clubs 2011, 2012, and 2013 girls and gathered an excellent group of young female staff to guide our budding starlets. Veronica She coaches our U9 and U10 age groups, so directing the U7 & U8 program helps with the progression into 7v7 football. Veronica is also an assistant women’s soccer coach at Rowan University.

Rhea played for the Profs from 2008-11. She ended her career as the school’s all-time assists leader with 35. Rhea also holds the University marks for assists in a game (5, September 18, 2010 vs. Montclair State University) and assists in a season (16, 2009). She is fourth with 111 career points (38 goals, 35 assists). Rhea was a three-time New Jersey Athletic Conference All-Conference first team honoree. She was named to the Eastern College Athletic Conference Metro Region All-Star first team twice and selected to the NSCAA South Atlantic All-Region second team in 2011. She received All-Region third team honors in 2009. She is the head coach at Highland High School and was the South Jersey Times 2016 Girls HS Coach of the Year. Rhea was a two-time Rowan Scholar-Athlete. She graduated in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in health and exercise science.

U7 - U8 DIRECTOR OF BOYS JUNIOR ACADEMY
Leading our Boys Junior Academy will be David Hughes, A native of Glasgow, Scotland, David graduated with honors from Lancaster University and earned a Bachelor of Science in Coaching and Sport Performance. Coach Hughes also has a strong playing and coaching background in soccer, having played with Carlisle United Football Club and Workington AFC. David holds a UEFA B License, NSCAA Advanced National and the FA Level Two Goalkeeper Coaching.

Hughes also gained a high quality coaching experience after returning to Carlisle United as a Youth Academy coach. He served as an assistant on the Philadelphia Fury men's professional soccer team as an assistant coach and is currently the Head Coach of the Men's Soccer program at Harcum College. Dave also coaches the SJEB FC 2008, 2009 and 2010 Boys teams.

“I am excited to work with the SJEB FC Boys Junior Academy program, its crucial at the foundation phase of development that players get a solid foundation of foot skills, ball mastery and gain confidence in a social and group setting. We plan to grow our this age groups with weekly sessions and fun 4v4 festivals throughout the year. The Junior Academy program has grown considerably over the past year and we have seen some talented players come into the club via this program”.

Hughes' philosophy includes creating a positive team environment that encourages individual player creativity, expression and development whilst encouraging a quality team based possession and counter attacking approach.

GIRLS ACADEMY LEAGUE GOALKEEPER DIRECTOR
Jillian Loyden founded The Keeper Institute in 2013, towards the end of her professional playing career. She is a former member of  the U.S. Women’s National Team, and Sky Blue FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played professionally in the Women’s Professional Soccer league (WPS)  for the MagicJack, Chicago Red Stars and St. Louis Athletica. She also spent a season in Australia with the Central Coast Mariners where she was named Goalkeeper of the Year. In the collegiate game Jill was a standout goalkeeper and four-year starter at Division I Villanova University, where she earned Big East Goalkeeper of the Year honors three consecutive seasons as well as NSCAA First-Team All-America her senior year. In 2014 Jill retired from playing professional soccer and began her coaching career as she opened The Keeper Institute headquarters in summer of 2015.  Jill was the goalkeeper coach for Sky Blue FC (NWSL) for the 2016 and 2017 seasons, worked with our youth US National Teams as a goalkeeper coach, as well as a color analyst for ESPN. Jill founded the The Keeper Institute is an all-encompassing training school that aims to educate young aspiring goalkeepers in every component of the game and educate goalkeepers of all skill levels in the areas of technique, decision-making, strength and conditioning, all while equipping them with leadership skills, resiliency, and sportsmanship.

U13 - U19 BOYS GOALKEEPER DIRECTOR
SJEB FC are pleased to announce former Alum and player Rich Ongaro as Boys U13-U19 Goalkeeper Coach for the 21-22 season. Rich is currently the Men’s goalkeeper coach at St Joe's University. "I have known Rich for a few years, and I believe he will be a great addition to our coaching staff," said head coach John Thompson  "He brings Division I coaching experience and will be asked to manage different aspects of our program. I am confident he will fit in well and introduce innovative ways to enhance our program."

Ongaro arrives on Hawk Hill by way of Fordham University, where he was an assistant coach with the Rams for the2019 season. Ongaro worked directly with Atlantic 10 All-Tournament Team goalkeeper Konstantin Weis, who finished the season ranked third in Fordham goalkeeper history in single-season minutes played (1,919) and sixth in single-season shutouts (7).

Prior to that stop, Ongaro spent a season as a volunteer assistant coach at Old Dominion University. Working with the goalkeepers, he coached Mertcan Akar, who earned Third Team All-Conference USA honors, while as a team, the Monarchs finished second in the regular-season standings for Conference USA.
Before joining the ODU staff, Ongaro was an assistant coach at both Rutgers-Camden and the University of Northwestern Ohio, where he worked with the women's teams.
A collegiate goalkeeper from 2012-15, Ongaro played his freshman year at VCU before transferring to Holy Family University for his final three years. He was a three-year starter for the Division II school and collected nine shutouts and 191 saves throughout his three years playing for the Tigers. Ongaro is a native of Columbus, N.J.

U13 - U19 GIRLS & U8-U12 BOYS & GIRLS GOALKEEPER DIRECTOR
SJEB FC are pleased to announce Tom Eichhorn as the Director of Goalkeeping of the U8-U19 Girls goalkeepers.Tom is in his 16th season as an assistant coach for the women’s soccer team at Rowan University. He was also an assistant for the men’s soccer team from 2004-2014. He was a goalkeeper on the men’s soccer team from 1999-2003. During that time, he helped lead Rowan to two New Jersey Athletic Conference Championships and four appearances in the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. The Profs played in the national championship game in 2000.

He was the head coach for the Delaware Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program for the U16/17 girls’ team in 2012. Eichhorn has worked as a South Jersey training coordinator, associate trainer and college coordinator for the Keepers Advantage Goalkeeping Club. He is also a member of the United Soccer Coaches and has a National Coaching Diploma and National Goalkeeper Coaching Diploma. In addition, Eichhorn has a USSF D license.

SJEB FC COACHING STAFF
Andrew Bairner, Don D’Ambra, Christos Economopoulos, Tom Eichhorn, Maria Grady, Wayne Grocott, David Hughes, Fred King, Neil Mullin, Sandeep Mehtani, Rich Ongaro, Matt Pepe, Robbie Polk, Veronica Rhea, Bill Rizzo, Bill Shute, Ian Simmons, Sergio Torres John Thompson, & Zack Zarhend.