“I’m a coach because young players are the future of this great sport. My goal is to infect each player with soccer passion so that they never want to stop playing and they always want to elevate their game. I strongly believe each practice session should be filled with teaching moments, dynamic activities, and one on one engagement with players. Each player should feel special playing on our teams and leave each session feeling like they learned something new. I coach because I want players to connect with each other and to feel like winners because they tried a new skill or accomplished and individual goal. I coach because when you get on a soccer field, you can be part of building confident, quick thinking and team oriented young people.” ---- Dina Gentile

Sport is not solely about winning. A sport will keep moving forward and developing as participants maintain their passion and enjoyment of it. We hold the same view with Dr. Dina Gentile who believes each training session should be special and dynamic so that players can obtain satisfaction through learning new skills and making effort. Her devotion to the future of soccer makes her the winner of “I’m coach because…” campaign.

Dr. Dina Gentile is a Professor of Sport Management at Endicott College where she was also the women’s soccer coach for 11 years. Her own Precision Soccer, LLC, operates camps, clinics, and coach education training throughout the year. She is a former All-America and Academic All-America at Adelphi University. Gentile has been inducted into the Adelphi University and Endicott College Halls of Fame. She is a former pre-kindergarten and kindergarten Coordinator for Beverly Youth Soccer Association. This season she is the proud coach of her daughter’s 1st Grade team in the Wilmington Youth Soccer Association. Gentile is also a Soccer Ambassador for Korrio and contributing writer for Soccer Nation News.

NSCAA: What is the story behind you being a soccer coach?
Dina Gentile: I do not know if I ever planned to be a coach, I just always believed that soccer would play a prominent role in my life. I am truly blessed to have been coached by fantastic educators who have inspired me to follow their paths.

NSCAA: What are your thoughts on coaching education and it’s role in developing coaches?
Dina Gentile: I am an advocate for any and all types of coach education programs. There should never be a moment when a coach thinks they know it all. Any injection of new terms or new models of instruction should be incorporated into youth soccer programs; in the end our job is to elevate the experience for our players.

NSCAA: What has NSCAA meant to you?
Dina Gentile: The NSCAA has been a resource for me for so many years. I was able to have April Heinrichs evaluate me as a National Diploma candidate.... I still have her comments from 1993.

NSCAA: What is your most memorable moment as a coach?
Dina Gentile: Fortunately, I have a number of memorable moments. One that stands out happened recently when my campers (100 girls) cheered on the U-S-A in the Semi Finals of the World Cup this summer. I can still hear the chants from those little voices clapping and yelling for their team. That enthusiasm carried over onto the field for the rest of the camp. Those players believed that they could perform because they watched their heroes do just that.

NSCAA: What sort of qualities do you think should a coach have? How do these qualities influence players and team?
Dina Gentile: I think coaches need to be dynamic in the way in which they teach. Coaches need to engage the players and make they feel connected as individuals in order to create a cohesive team. Coaches need to understand who they are teaching and be able to find methods to get each player to perform new skills or perform at a higher level. In the end, coaches need to create positive experiences for their team.

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