Welcome Mary Ireland - New WFC Board Member - Vice President.

It's with great pleasure and excitement for the BOD to announce Mary Ireland as our new Vice President of WFC Board of Directors! (BOD) It's been a long journey to find the right person; as we wanted a mix of strong soccer knowledge, and the ability to lead & mentor WFC's paid coaching staff. Lastly, the ideal candidate needed to possess enthusiasm for the youth, and ability to execute on WFC initiatives so that we can continue to empower our players, coaches and families as a top select and premier club in our valley! It's a no brainer that Mary exhibits all of these skills - and her passion alone for WFC, soccer, and youth - coupled with her business and community engagement expertise is priceless! 

High Level VP Responsibilities: 

• Supporting WFC in achieving the organization's overall strategic goals.
• Main POC on WFC BOD, for coaches and parents -   evangelist for WFC as a whole. Supporting brand, image and club culture. 
• Support with forming, staffing, guiding, leading, and managing  WFC's paid soccer coaching staff. 
• Help to oversee the complete WFC operation in accordance with WFC bylaws and nonprofit regulations.

Mary's Bio: 

Mary Ireland was born and raised in the Wenatchee Valley. She is a graduate of Eastmont High School and despite making her way back to the  Wenatchee side,  she will always be an Eastmont girl at heart. After a short career in health care, she decided to follow her passion and opened up MKC Photography Studio in 2006 and has continued to own and operate her business successfully for almost 14 years. During that time Mary has had her foot in coaching youth sports from Adaptive Swim Team, Mission Ridge Ski Team, and Wenatchee FC. Her passion for youth sports is something she has followed from the time she was a competitive ski racer, teaching ski lessons on the side at the age of 15. Mary realized early on the importance of a good coach and the impact that can have on the future love of sports for each kiddo she has had the opportunity to train. She feel’s her “super-power” is working with the youngest bunch of athletes and building the foundation of FUN, above and beyond anything else. While enjoying her time photographing the families of the Wenatchee Valley and coaching youth sports, Mary loves nothing more than to watch her own kids compete and participate in activities that they love. Mary’s oldest son Koren is almost 14, her daughter Teagan is 11, son Lachlan is 8, and she will be welcoming a baby girl this summer. Her husband Dan is an engineer with SCJ Alliance here in Wenatchee and they add a couple of labs into their crazy busy household just to keep things exciting. 

WFC Families - May 2018

On behalf of the WFC board of directors and your coaches – we’re excited to announce that we’ve recently hired a new and fabulous “Technical Director” – Josten Garalde! Esteemed and reputable Washington Rush coach from Seattle, WA. As many of you know – our current DOC Neil Oyston resigned to pursue some personal and career goals in Southern California. Neil has been very active in our recruiting process since his resignation. Neil was thrilled when he had the chance to meet Josten and to quote Neil “It felt like a sign – it was too good to be true when I talked to him for the first time.”  WFC invited Josten out to Wenatchee to spend some time with us this early April to see him in action on the field both with some of our teams along with a  group of coaches. Neil and our figurehead in place who’s been supporting us with recruiting also interviewed him.  We all knew we were looking for someone who could meet our behavioral bar – 1st with our youth (we wanted someone with a real and proven track record/passion for kids) and then, of course, someone with enough experience, and certification/licensing to influence, and develop our incredible volunteer coaches. WFC works hard behind the scenes to ensure that we have structure, and organization in our coaching – If our coaches are correctly developed – your kids reap the reward. Which is why WFC continues to strive, fundraise and invest in coaches development. It’s a priority of WFC so that the return on your investment is in your child on and off the field. In addition, it is a min requirement for all youth soccer clubs to have a licensed DOC and or Technical Director. That is why Josten is a perfect fit - because WFC is focused on influencing our kids through positive impact – so they learn the love of the game all while developing technical and tactical capabilities. We are committed to providing high-quality soccer for our players and families. Therefore, we want to encourage all of you that we have hired the best replacement to continue the great momentum our club is having! Our teams are being recognized both at the state and national level! This is HUGE, and we should all feel so proud of our coaches, kids and all of you as parents who are equally invested. We know it’s a significant commitment – and we sincerely thank-you! 

So – without further ado! Drumrolllll….

Let’s give Josten a warm welcome to WFC!! He and his family are excited to move to Wenatchee – and settle down in our beautiful community. We feel very thankful that Josten chose WFC as his next soccer home! He has big plans, and all of you will see his passion for this sport and the youth the moment he hits the field. 

A bit more about Josten! 

Josten is a highly experienced coach with his USSF “C” License. He joined the Rush coaching staff in 2013 and has been a key contributor in supporting and developing the program. Before Rush, Josten was the head coach for both the Jackson High junior varsity and varsity teams from 1999 – 2006. After playing at Northwest University, he was the NU Men’s Assistant coach in 2003 and is a current ambassador for football. Josten has traveled extensively through outreach programs and has helped organize a soccer camp in Haiti. He’s also been the coordinator for Lil’ Kickers in Seattle, and a Head Coach for a youth girls squad from WA to work with a  human trafficking non-profit. Josten loves the game –sill plays soccer. In his college days, Josten won an NWACC championship with Edmonds Community College and also won championships with the Snohomish Skyhawks and Santa Clara semi-pro indoor squads.

Josten will be here for our WFC tryouts -https://www.wfcyouth.net/page/show/3333914-tryout-schedule so make sure to come out and say Hi and give him a big Wenatchee welcome if you see him on the field!

On behalf of the WFC Board of Directors we’re excited to announce the appointment of our “Senior Technical Director” Anton McCourtie. Many folks in our valley have known Anton for several years as the coach of some of our older and very successful teams including the U-17 Girls, U-16 Boys and previously our U-18 Boys.

With WFC growing in size with our teams and coaching staff, in addition to the successful recruitment of our current Technical Director Josten Garalde, we were also considering someone to lead our older age groups. We knew we needed additional support to optimize for the club’s growth; ensuring that our coaches, players and staff were set up for success. We were seeking the appropriate experience, credentialing and knowledge of the game to amplify, support & develop our incredible platform of volunteer coaches – specifically our senior teams & tenured coaches. With Josten and Anton at the helm WFC will continue to work hard to ensure that we have this viable structure, and organization in our coaching.

A bit about Anton!
Anton grew up playing soccer at the highest level in the UK. He brings an experience of the senior game, which is unparalleled in the Wenatchee Valley. Anton is a highly experienced coach entering his 30thyear of coaching this wonderful game. He obtained his first professional license in England in 1991. He joined our coaching staff in 2013 and has been a key contributor in supporting and continuing to develop the program. He progressed rapidly through the US coaching system, most recently obtaining his Advanced National Diploma and NSCAA Goalkeeping Level 1. Anton also participates as a Grade 8 Referee.

In his spare time he is a General Surgeon who graduated residency from the University of Washington in 2012.
Anton grew up playing soccer in England. He trained in the Tottenham Hotspur youth program and was a member of the England National U-19 A Team in 1992-1993. After graduating from High School he played at Birmingham University from 1993-1996. His most recent notable success in July 2018 was taking our WFC U-16 (B03) boys to the semi finals of the National Premier League Finals in San Diego.

With our current Technical Director – Josten Garalde’ s ability to develop players and coaches at the younger levels – we believe Anton’s unique understanding of the 11 a-side game compliments and rounds out our club so that everyone is set up for success.

By WFC investing in our coaches demonstrates our commitment to ensuring a positive outcome for your child to have continued development and growth and love for the game. We’re a club that strives to be a sports organization you can be proud of as a parent, player and coach!

WFC believes that better clubs make better coaches, which lead to better players!

Congrats to our B05 Team on their State Cup Gold Division championship. This is such a hard-working group of players, coaches, and parents. The future is bright.

United Soccer Coaches Announces the Newest 30 Under 30 Class

United Soccer Coaches announced the 15 men and 15 women selected from over 300 applicants as the 2017-18 cohorts of the United Soccer Coaches 30 Under 30 Program. This year's selection pool was as competitive as we've ever seen and we were humbled and inspired to see the tremendously high caliber of young coaches who are working tirelessly to better the game. 

The 2017-18 cohort coach at every level of the game. Check out a breakdown of this year's class:

• 19 College coaches
• 7 Club coaches
• 2 High School coaches
• 2 Professional coaches

Launched in 2013, the United Soccer Coaches 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. The United Soccer Coaches 30 Under 30 Program is designed to give participants exposure to membership, and the opportunity to take advantage of educational offerings, such as diplomas and the United Soccer Coaches Convention.

We're thankful to Bergdorf Cellars for being our venue sponsor for the 2017 WFC Awards Night !
Award winning winemaker - Jon Delvo owner and winemaker of Bergdorf Cellars Winery on Front Street in Leavenworth, WA has built a new 30,000+ sq ft crush "haus" & event space and is opening the doors to WFC so we can host our end of year awards ceremony. The venue is perfect for events, small to large sized parties. It's nestled near a beautiful orchard and has a nice private setting. It's also a great location to taste his award winning wine. 

We are very thankful for "Bergdorf Cellars"  generosity in lending us this beautiful space and venue for our event.

For more information on the venue and or if you are interested in renting space here - Please email marketing@wfcyouth.net 

8077 Green Road - Peshastin, WA 98847
 

In a rematch with the only team to beat them in the tournament, Coaches Neil and Abe drew up a plan for success and the ladies carried it out to perfection.

WFC Youth is delighted to announce Mauricio Sanchez as Wenatchee FC Goalkeeping Director. Wenatchee FC and Clean Sheet Goalkeeping will be working closely to develop the next generation of  WFC Youth keepers!

Mauricio will be delivering age specific curriculums to goalkeepers within the club. In addition Mauricio will be working with the WFC coaches to develop the goalkeepers as part of a team! #development #wfc

Wenatchee FC is a non profit organization created to provide the best environment possible for youth in the Wenatchee soccer community. We implement proven developmental models based on the guidelines provided by the USSF. We have a top class Technical Director  who is focused on individual  player development both on the field and off.

The goal of Wenatchee FC is to offer soccer to all youth in the valley that are passionate about competitive soccer and want to take the next step in their soccer journey. Our programs are setup to create clear pathways to success. Every player who joins Wenatchee FC will have a plan that they can follow to maximize each player's development and achieve their soccer goals.

Our WFC July Player of the Month goes to Olivia Bowman! Coach Neil Oyston says of Olivia, “She has showed great leadership on and off the field. Olivia was a prevalent figure in our defense in the success of winning the Crossfire Collegiate Showcase. The G02’s defense only conceded three goals out of five games and played a pivotal role in the teams success. Olivia has also volunteered her time as an Asst Coach at the local Soccer Shots sessions lending a hand and mentoring the younger generation of players.” Congrats again @_oliviabowman! Keep on leading and working hard, giving back to our local youth and inspiring those all around you. #wenatcheefcyouth #mentorship #crossfirechampions2019 #soccershots

Yelling at Referees: It hurts our children! Great quick read!

https://www.switchingthefield.com/single-post/Yelling-at-Referees-is-Hurting-Our-Children

Our WFC  Coaches of the Month award goes to Coach  Scott Chandler! One mind, one thought, team first!” are the words you’ll hear echoed from these players. Thank you Coach Scott Chandler for all your hard work and being nominated for our WFC July Coach of the Month! Your dedication to your teams, your hunger to grow in the knowledge of the beautiful game, and the way you lead your business and family is greatly appreciated and respected. Congrats again coach! Keep on inspiring, teaching and raising up bright young leaders in our community. #wenatcheefcyouth #mentorship

Do you have someone that you would like to celebrate? A player, a coach - maybe something about your team? Wenatchee FC wants to celebrate accomplishments within the club. Please send us your story with images to president@wfcyouth.net  Please include your name and email address so we can follow up if we need additional details.