The ECNL hosted its annual coaching symposium this week in Las Vegas, where over 750 soccer leaders from across the country gathered to align on the vision of the ECNL moving forward, hear from an incredible lineup of guest speakers, and continue to grow and move the sport forward.
The two-day event featured speakers Drew Brees (former NFL Quarterback and Super Bowl MVP), Ceri Bowley (ECNL Technical Advisor and former City Football Group staff), Martin Diggle (Head of Coach Development at Liverpool FC), Paul McVeigh (former English Premier League player), Sean Nahas (Head Coach of the North Carolina Courage), Charlie Stillitano (Chairman for Serie A USA), Shari Summers (Chief Soccer Growth Officer for US Soccer), and Dr. Drew Watson (ECNL Medical Advisor). The speakers touched on topics ranging from coach and player development, the psychology of being a leader, the lessons from and importance of sports on human development, as well as personal stories from their careers, and more.
“I’m so impressed with the level of education, the quality of the speakers, and the information they are able to deliver to us to help us on our soccer journeys,” said Gronthik Chatterjee, Director of Coaching at Nationals SC. “I think it would be unfair to any of the presenters to rate one more than the other. With each speaker there are things that stand out and resonate, but I think the collective thing that has come through with every single speaker is the process of building good humans and that the good player part comes as a result of that.”
In addition to the guest speakers, at the ECNL AGM league leadership discussed the current state of the league, and ECNL President Christian Lavers presented the league’s vision moving forward, highlighting where the ECNL plans to go in the coming years.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the ECNL leadership’s vision, their statements of intent, where they want to take the league, and their accountability for what they have accomplished, what still needs to be worked upon, and what the next set of initiatives are in how they are growing the league and making this the best environment for youth players in the country,” Chatterjee said.
“The most important and the best part is the clear vision and direction of the league moving forward. That is something I think everyone should be excited about and the reason we should all trust in this league and the project,” said Sena Halilovic, Technical Director at Chicago Inter. “We are taking a lot home with us to share with our coaching staff, administrators, and players. I think it’s extremely beneficial being here and we will be back next year for sure.”
For more insights from the ECNL Coaching Symposium, click here.
NFL Legend Drew Brees sat down with ECNL President Christian Lavers to have a conversation on Lessons From Sport pic.twitter.com/CI8BpOdZtx
— The ECNL (@TheECNL) January 17, 2024
