Frank Carrozza is an NSCAA member and also a coach starting out in the profession. He was named the head women’s soccer coach at King’s College in January 2010 and stands as the first full-time coach in the history of the program, which began in 1992. Carrozza came to King’s after serving as the assistant women’s soccer coach at his alma mater, Misericordia University in Dallas, the previous four seasons.

Here are a few of his thoughts as a budding soccer coach and transitioning from being a player.

What was the epiphany moment that helped you make the decision to become a soccer coach?

My epiphany moment that helped make the decision to become a soccer coach was probably the reality of my collegiate playing days coming to an end. I was a sport management major getting ready to graduate college and had a love for athletics, specifically soccer. I did not have a job lined up for after graduation and really was unsure where I was going to seek out a position that I would truly enjoy every day. I just knew I wanted to be tied into sports and if I was lucky enough it was going to be soccer. To keep myself involved in the game that brought me so much joy, friendships, and experiences, I started throwing around the idea of coaching. I started reading about club coaching and collegiate coaching and how you could make a living off of it (simple, right?) and all my questions were answered. I thought to myself “well, I am not playing anymore how hard could coaching be? I will just pick up a youth team, and the rest will fall into place.” Was I blind and naive on so many levels...I had no idea what I was signing up for at 21 years of age!

What was the biggest lesson as you were moving from being a player to a coach?

The biggest lesson I learned from my transition from player to coach was the importance of understanding and communicating with your audience. I could go on for hours about the lessons I have learned and the failures I have been met with, however they all come back to one VITAL element: EDUCATION. I needed to learn how to communicate and educate others with less soccer knowledge on how to develop their abilities properly. I remember sitting down to write my first practice plan as if it were yesterday. My first club team was a 13 year old boys’ team. How was I going to teach a 13-year-old boy to curl off a ball, bend his run, hit a driven service and boom diving header into the goal? Simple I wasn’t! I needed to seek coaching education and FAST!

What were some of the assumptions you had of coaches as a player? How many of those were correct? Which were off base?

The assumptions I had of coaches as a player were all across the board. Some assumptions were spot on and others were way off. The one that sticks with me the most would be the time I became a college assistant on the women’s side. Before becoming a collegiate women’s assistant, I tried my luck with U13 boys, giving private lessons, became an assistant with collegiate men, being a head boys high school coach and a head coach for a u13 girls’ team. Observing others, and through trial and error, I saw improvement with these programs but I still knew there was more than meets the eye and I was not doing these players justice nor was I going to find a full time job with what I was bringing to the table at that time.

I realized that just because you played at a high level that does not mean you will have ease with coaching or become a great coach. I needed a mentor and I needed education. It was at this time I found an opportunity as a collegiate women’s assistant. I remember back to my first thoughts about this coach, “he coaches college women, what does he know? He coaches women, and how is he going to teach me anything?” Once again, insert foot into mouth! That five-year span as an assistant was the best opportunity I could have been given. I had an excellent mentor who taught me about team management, administration, player development, game day operations, recruiting, communication, program development and introduced me to the NSCAA and its education offerings. I am thankful to this day I was given that opportunity and I still keep in touch with that coach and cherish that friendship!

What are some of the challenges you face as a young coach?

Some challenges I faced as a young coach, a young male coach who ran a collegiate women’s program was being taken seriously by my co-workers, my players, and my peers. I knew I would be judged as the new guy, straight out of the shoot who was young, overzealous, and inexperienced. Maybe this was just my assumption as I felt prepared, maybe this was a fear, but I do know this was motivation for me to prove to myself and to others that I can do this. I love this game, and I am going to be good at it or die trying! The more education and conversation I experienced, the more my nerves were put to ease. Being a stubborn, emotional, hard-nosed, Italian, I had to learn to evaluate, question, LISTEN, adjust and repeat until the gears were all working as they should. Still to this day I am constantly seeking education whether it is coaching courses, clinics, conventions, or just a simple phone call to a friend, family member or colleague.

How has the NSCAA helped you along in your career? How do you recommend a young coach go about best utilizing the resources the association has?

The NSCAA has made a big impact in my coaching career. After I was introduced to the NSCAA and its education offerings, I couldn’t get enough. I have never taken a course where I have not come away with something beneficial or new. The same experience goes for the NSCAA Convention; the fact that I can seek further education in a variety of areas and settings within coaching is fantastic. I can find a great collegiate training session on a topic that my team struggled with the past season, listen in on a lecture about youth player development from professional youth coaches, have dinner with a newly met colleague, and have a casual conversation with coaching greats learning about them and their experiences. I am now an associate staff coach for the NSCAA and their coaching education department and have truly enjoyed the experience in getting here. I continue to look forward to what is to come.

If I can offer any bit of advice for the up and coming coaches it would be:

Understand there are many ways to achieve a common goal and you MUST remain open-minded

Seek a mentor who is willing to teach you the ropes and explain what it is he/she does and why they make the decisions they make

Seek coaching education and practice what you learned. It’s not about the certificate, diploma, or license--it is about the knowledge and what you plan to do with it

The abilities to LISTEN and EVALUATE are key. Listen to your players, listen to your staff, listen to your colleagues. Evaluate it all and then make the best educated decision you can make and stand by it with confidence! Finding failure or success you will continue to learn and become a better coach! Keep your level of Coach-ability high!

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