Anthony Smith Hired as Head Men’s Soccer Coach!
Anthony Smith has been hired as the next head coach of men's soccer. Smith is from Parma, Michigan. For his playing career, Smith began playing soccer at a young age and competed in club/travel league soccer tournaments in Amsterdam, Netherlands, representing the United States on a U-14 team. Anthony went on to play soccer at the collegiate level.
After his playing career was over, Smith began coaching as the JV Men's Coach at a High School in Jackson, Michigan. Over the course of a few years, Smith was promoted to the Varsity Head Coaching Position where he was until 2024, and then moved to a varsity women's position at another school district. Now he comes to us here at Trinity Bible College.
When asked what he is most excited about with coaching men's soccer Coach Smith Stated:
"I love to challenge myself. I am most excited to see how my own teaching and coaching skills function at the collegiate level. Faith in Christ is the core of what and why I do things. I have implemented my faith in my coaching with my previous programs and have seen my athletes grow in soccer development and in their own faith. I am excited to see all of these pieces work together to push this program forward and how I also will grow throughout the journey."
Coach Smith describes his coaching philosophy with three core pillars. Safety/Security, Trust and Relationships, Skill Development. He stated "The first thing I try to implement is a safe and secure space for my players. Once they feel safe, comfortable and at peace, social barriers begin to fall down, which opens up opportunities to develop and grow as a person as well as a player. After the first pillar is in place, trust can be established and strong relationships are formed. I try to demonstrate on a daily basis that I care for and value each player as a person. Once trust is truly established, then team chemistry increases, forming a bond that will last a lifetime that far surpasses just the game of soccer. As far as the third pillar, skill development in the realm of soccer can happen with a little bit of hard work and direction. However, my skill development goes beyond just soccer skills and tactics. I aim to meet the individual needs of each player and help them improve in their soccer abilities on a consistent basis. But, I also help them achieve life skills. Examples include, communicating to people amidst conflict effectively, navigating adversity with school or family, or even walking through the high's and low's of having a relationship with Jesus. I try to teach players how to develop into a more mature version of themselves over the course of time. I have found that as I coach soccer, these three pillars have helped many players find much success as a soccer player, as well as finding much success in all aspects of life."
Coach Smith expressed to us that he wants our soccer program to be a direct reflection of Christ! Coach Smith has a vision of each and every player on the field to demonstrate what it truly means to be a Christ follower, while also still competing and playing the game at a high level! We are super excited to see Coach Smith and how the soccer program develops this fall!
