Louisville Coaching Symposium Reaches New Heights in 2014
February 11, 2014 | Men's Soccer
Feb. 11, 2014
Head coach Ken Lolla speaks during last weekend's Louisville Soccer Coaching Symposium.
By Chris Gehring
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Early February is the middle of the offseason in college soccer, but men's head coach Ken Lolla and his Cardinals squad are not taking time away from the pitch. Last weekend, the team hosted the third annual Louisville Soccer Coaching Symposium on campus at the University of Louisville's Trager Center.
The event has grown from its inaugural year in 2012, and this year had more than 100 attendees for the first time in its history. Staples of the symposium include on-field training demonstrations, lessons on principles of success from coach Lolla and an evening social after the first day.
"At this point, our focus is for this event to continue to grow," said Lolla. "It is just a great event for coaches to come together and develop on and off the field."
Louisville's Coaching Symposium has developed a reputation for highlighting different levels of soccer for the wide range of levels represented by attendees. Included in the profile of teams represented this weekend were college, club, high school and youth teams for both boys and girls. While many Louisville-area clubs and schools were in attendance, others traveled from as far as Philadelphia, Nashville, Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Indianapolis.
Class started at 9 a.m., on Saturday when coaches arrived for registration. By 10:00, Louisville's associate head coach Mario Sanchez was leading the first session of the day on attacking. Sanchez worked with the Kentucky Fire Juniors, a youth club based in Louisville.
Other morning topics included a session on possession with Louisville women's soccer head coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes and the Cardinal women's soccer team. This weekend marked the first year that the Louisville women's soccer staff was featured in the program. Former United States national team coach and current Chicago Fire advisor Mike Matkovich was the featured guest clinician at this year's event, leading sessions on team shape and finishing.
"Any chance we get help to grow the sport as coaches is an opportunity we can't miss," said Ferguson-Dayes. "It's important for them (the coaches) to learn from us, but also for us to learn from them."
Both Ferguson-Dayes and Matkovich were extremely well received by the coaches in attendance, as they each added a different look at high-level soccer. The Cardinals' men's squad was on the field for Matkovich's session and the remainder of the day Saturday.
Coach Lolla led a lunchtime lecture on effective communication that left an impression on many of the coaches in attendance. Since the symposium's inception, a focus has been placed on helping coaches to build a successful culture around their teams through personal development. That message shined through again this year.
"I think it was just brilliant," said Erie Admirals director of coaching and Louisville alumnus Sam Tojaga. "The Symposium is so valuable, and I highly recommend any club to bring their staff to learn on and off the field. The big thing is that the impact we have as coaches today is going to last for years and years. I can't recommend enough how important it is for coaches to be a part of this."
When the group re-convened Sunday morning inside Louisville football's Schnellenberger Center, Lolla and the Louisville staff gave the coaches an inside look at what a typical morning meeting with the team would be like. Following the meeting, the Cards conducted a full training session with the narration of Lolla and Sanchez to conclude the weekend's proceedings.
Plans are already in the works for the return of the Coaching Symposium in 2015. To find future dates, more information and materials from past events, visit LouisvilleCoachingSymposium.com. For more from coach Lolla, visit KenLolla.com.
Fans can follow Louisville men's soccer on Twitter at http://twitter.com/uoflmenssoccer and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/UofLmenssoccer.
