Though traditionally viewed as a top-down type concept, career advice and mentorship can take on many forms. Whether it’s coming from a seasoned coach to a newbie, the other way around, or from someone next to you, this valuable information should be taken to heart, no matter how it comes.

Bradley University men’s assistant Brian Barnett, Boston University women’s assistant Casey Brown and University of Kansas women’s assistant Jessica Smith are at a similar point in their soccer coaching career. In addition to being named as the NSCAA 30 Under 30 participants, they have also realized that this career path they’ve chosen is what they meant to be.

“I believe my path in life was meant to help teach the game. I am excited to share with each new class at Kansas the tremendous life lessons the game offers,” Smith says.

On his responsibility as a coach, Barnett noted: “Essentially, it is my belief that a soccer coach must recognize that his/her impact is greater than the lessons of the training ground and that each coach accepts his/her responsibility to positively affect the overall character development of young people.”

Being participants in the newly-minted 30 Under 30 program, Barnett, Brown, Smith and 27 others are tabbed as the next great generation of soccer coaches. They have not only worked hard to get to where they are but are using the resources available through the NSCAA to get where they want to be.

“I am constantly trying to soak up as much information as possible and simply learn. I value what you can learn from everyday experiences and everyone associated with the NSCAA is more than willing to offer up those experiences,” Brown mentions. “(BU head coach Nancy) Feldman made sure I became a member of the NSCAA as soon as I could.  In fact, I was an NSCAA member when I was still playing.”

“The NSCAA is a massive organization with nearly limitless resources to assist in developing young coaches. For young coaches like me, it is important to soak up as much information as possible and the NSCAA does a great job of syndicating a lot of great information across multiple mediums,” Barnett says.

These three also advise to take advantage of the human resources young coaches are sometimes afforded. They all agree that veteran coaches’ knowledge and experience will help them “grow as a young coach; in particular, at a time and place in my career where this aspect may be overlooked,” as explained by Barnett.

Adding to that, Smith says that “it’s one thing to read a book to learn x’s and o’s, but it’s completely different to actually gain information from a coach who has experienced the ups and downs of the game and who’s put in the time to learn the game on the field.”

The NSCAA 30 Under 30 program is a year-long education and mentorship opportunity for a select few up-and-comers who have made soccer coaching their career of choice. This program was created to support fledgling coaches and foster their growth at a crucial point in their vocation.

Visit the 30 Under 30 profiles page to learn more about the program and this year’s participants.

NSCAA members log in to comment. Not a member? Learn more today.