RICHMOND, Va. – The ECNL announced that the 7th annual ECNL Coaching Symposium, powered by US Club Soccer, will take place January 16-17, 2024, at Circa Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, NV.
This industry-leading educational event will feature experts from around the world on a variety of subject matters, with presentations covering technical and tactical concepts, leadership and personal development, club and organizational development, and more.
Attendees will have the opportunity to collaborate with fellow leaders and coaches, share ideas and best practices, and will return to their clubs with ideas to innovate and push the game forward. Get a sense of the size, scope and excitement of the event from last year, and don’t miss the opportunity to register for the limited remaining seats.
Below is the lineup of speakers at this year’s event.
Drew Brees: Drew is the 2009 Super Bowl MVP-winning quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. A native of Austin, TX, Brees attended Purdue University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Management from the prestigious Krannert School of Management, was a two-time Heisman finalist, and led the Boilermakers to a Big Ten Championship and Rose Bowl appearance during the 2000 season. In that same year, he won the Maxwell Award as the nation’s top collegiate player as well as being named Academic All-American Player of the Year and was a recipient of the National Football Foundation’s post-graduate scholarship. In Brees’ five years with the San Diego Chargers and fifteen years with the New Orleans Saints, he was elected to 13 Pro Bowls while being named 2004 Comeback Player of the Year, 2006 All-Pro Team, 2006 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, 2008 and 2011 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and Super Bowl XLIV Champion and MVP. Off the field, Drew and his wife, Brittany, established the Brees Dream Foundation in 2003 and have contributed over $50,000,000 to help improve the quality of life for cancer patients and provide care, education and opportunities for children and families in need. Brees has also proudly participated in five USO trips visiting Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, Germany, Turkey, Djibouti, Dubai, Okinawa, and Guantanamo Bay. Brees currently serves on the board of directors for multiple franchise companies, C3 Bank, and Pioneer Sports. He has been a strong advocate for advancing the opportunities for youth through sports, including co-founding a youth flag football league called Football N America that hosts leagues, tournaments, and clinics nationwide.
Ceri Bowley: Ceri is the ECNL Technical Advisor and a consultant for Double Pass, one of the world’s leading football consultancy organizations. Most recently, Ceri worked as a first team assistant for Rangers FC in the Scottish Premier League and UEFA Champions League. Prior to that, he worked for many years for City Football Group where he led the creation and implementation of the City Football Methodology, which remains in place at CFG clubs across the globe. Bowley holds a PhD in Sports Psychology and Coaching Science, and has worked with Barry Town, the English FA, Swansea City and Merthyr Town in various roles.
Martin Diggle: Martin has been the Head of Coach Development at Liverpool FC since 2019, is a UEFA A and Advanced Youth Award coach and tutor, and holds a Masters in coaching/coach development. Martin has worked in professional player and coach development for over 20 years. Working with Academy Director Alex Ingelthorpe, Martin has overall responsibility for the development of coaches working with players from age 8-21 and implementation of the clubs coaching and playing methodology across the academy. Previously, Martin worked at Bolton Wanderers, Leeds Beckett University, and the English Football Association. At the FA, Martin managed 20 technical staff supporting all 92 professional clubs, and also was responsible for delivery of all professional game UEFA L4 (A) and 5 (PRO) qualifications and CPD, as well as working strategically with the Technical Director Dan Ashworth, UEFA, Premier League (PL), English football League (EFL), League Managers Association (LMA) and Professional Football Association (PFA) on coach development in the professional game.
Paul McVeigh: Paul is a Performance Psychologist and previously played professional soccer for nearly 20 years in the English Premier League. He has competed with and against some of the best players in the world like Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry, Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Paul Scholes, David Ginola, Jurgen Klinsmann and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. These tacit lessons have elevated Paul’s understanding of what it takes to be an elite performer on a global scale. Paul’s credibility comes from the unique combination of reaching the pinnacle of elite sport as well as being the first English Premier League player to qualify with a Master’s Degree in Psychology. He is also an established broadcaster on TV and radio with the BBC, Sky Sports, BT Sport, and a published author with Bloomsbury of the ironically entitled book ‘The Stupid Footballer is Dead’. Paul has recently worked with Rolls Royce, PWC, Grant Thornton, Aviva, Barclays, KPMG, Accenture, Deutsche Bank, Invesco, Swiss Reinsurance, Nat West, Cisco, Microsoft, Volvo, Investec, NHS, BT, GlaxoSmithKline and many more.
Sean Nahas: Sean just finished his second season as the head Coach of the Carolina Courage in the NWSL, and signed a 3-year extension for the future. Prior to that, he was an assistant coach for the Courage from 2017-2021 helping them to multiple league championships, while also holding director roles with the Capital Area Soccer League (now NCFC Youth / NC Courage Academy) since 2004. He also held various assistant coach and scouting roles with U14, U15, U19 and U20 US Soccer Youth National Teams.
Charlie Stillitano: Charlie is the Chairman for Serie A USA, working to strengthen the league’s expansion in the US through new commercial opportunities like regional deals with clubs and leagues, friendlies and fan events.
In 2017, Stillitano was named to ESPN FC’s Top 50, and theScore’s Top 25 most influential people in world soccer. Stillitano is regarded as one of the most experienced and well-connected Americans in the global game. He has built strong relationships and friendships with the most powerful people in the sport for over 30 years.
In 2013, Stillitano co-founded Relevent Sports Group and helped create the preeminent pre-season tournament for European soccer, the International Champions Cup (ICC). The tournament spans multiple continents each summer and fields the premiere European soccer clubs in the world. Stillitano is also a board member of Street Soccer USA and co-hosts “The Football Show,” a pioneering radio talk show, every weekday morning from 7:00am–9:00am on Sirius XM FC (Channel 157).
Prior to RSG, Stillitano held several leadership positions in the soccer business, including Venue Executive Director for the 1994 FIFA World Cup (NY/NJ), General Manager of the NY/NJ MetroStars of Major League Soccer and Vice Chairman and board member of the US Soccer Foundation. Stillitano also served as Founder, President, and CEO of ChampionsWorld, L.L.C. from 2000-2006, and he worked with the Creative Artist Agency from 2007-2012 as a senior executive in the soccer business division, which he helped launch.
Stillitano graduated in 1981 from Princeton University where he was an All-American and captain of the men’s varsity soccer team. He earned a law degree in 1987 from Rutgers University School of Law. In 2020, he was awarded the most prestigious honor bestowed by the Pingry Alumni Association, The Letter-in-Life Award. This recognition honors those who, in gaining distinction for themselves, have also brought honor to the school. Stillitano’s network and experience make him one of the most connected, respected and influential figures in international soccer.
Shari Summers: Shari is the Chief Soccer Growth Officer for US Soccer. In her role she focuses on growing participation in soccer across the U.S. and fostering high-quality, safe, and fun environments for play and development. Shari formerly served as the Executive Vice President of Strategy and Operations at WAVE Sports & Entertainment (WSE), and worked in strategy consulting at Bain & Company. Shari played professional soccer for FK Fortuna in Norway, after playing all four years at Stanford University.
Drew Watson: Drew Watson, MD, MS is the ECNL Medical Advisor. He is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, Pediatrics and Kinesiology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and a team physician for Badger Athletics. He is board certified in pediatrics and sports medicine, serves as the head team physician for Forward Madison FC (USL), and earned his US Soccer “A” license in 2001. He also directs the UW Human Performance Laboratory, conducting research in both pediatric exercise physiology, injury prediction and the impacts of injuries on well-being and mental health in youth and collegiate athletes.
