Gerry Cleary is a Renaissance man in American soccer and has been part of growing and improving the beautiful game at every level. Simultaneously, Cleary coaches at the youth, college, and semi-pro level. A busy man you might say.
As a top youth player in his native Ireland, Cleary made the choice to come to America to get his education and play college soccer. He did both, excelling on and off the pitch at Lambuth University. He was a three-time NAIA All-American, a four-time All-Conference selection, and two-time Mid South Player of the Year. Cleary also played in the USL’s Premier Development League for two seasons.
Eventually his attention turned to coaching, where he has experienced even greater success. Two NAIA National Championships, two NAIA/Brine National Coach of the Year honors, and two NSCAA/Adidas NAIA National Coach of the Year honors are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to accolades and hardware collected during Cleary’s tenure at Martin Methodist College.
At Martin, he spent 8 years at the helm of the women’s soccer program before taking over on the men’s side, where he is beginning his 2nd season in charge.
Cleary is also the head coach at Rocket City United of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). The NPSL features the best college players paired with former professionals in an amateur setting. In other words, a professional environment that maintains their collegiate eligibility and at the same time provides a stepping stone to professional ranks.
As expected, Cleary has found success at this level as well. He has brought in the top local players, players from NAIA powerhouses like Lindsey Wilson College, and international players as well.
“The league is getting better,” Cleary remarked. “There are more teams and better coaches. Division I coaches are surprised at how good our standard is.”
Cleary has high hopes for the 2012 season, even though RCU plays in a difficult conference.
“I hope to win our conference and advance to the semi-finals in San Diego,” Cleary remarked.
The team also expects to build their own facility in the near future, which would be a huge step for their programs in Huntsville and beyond.
And we haven’t even talked about his involvement in youth soccer. Cleary has been a leader in this area, starting programs in Tennessee, Florida, and Alabama. He has helped numerous players reach the highest levels of college soccer, including several that have made it to the pro ranks. Former D.C. United midfielder Andy Metcalf falls into the latter category. Metcalf is best known for scoring against Scottish superpower Celtic in a 2006 friendly.
Currently Cleary operates free academy training in the fall and spring in addition to his coaching duties at Pulaski Football Club, which is preparing to undergo serious expansion.
Youth soccer in Alabama is growing thanks to people like Cleary, but it is still a challenge.
“In places like Alabama and Tennessee, teams have to leave the state for the highest competition,” Cleary commented. “And we are always competing against other sports.”
But players in Texas and California have the advantage of playing year-round. They play soccer as much as possible, often training 5 days a week.
Cleary believes the new 10 month USSF academy season will get the best players together, but it could end up hurting the ODP program.
Cleary believes that something needs to be done with the high expense of youth soccer. Attracting exemplary athletes from other sports like basketball and football could go a long way to competing at the global level, but often the high costs keep these athletes away.
What’s best in the world of soccer is always changing to the country that is winning at the moment, but many countries put the best coaches with the youngest players to maximize the impact. Just another idea in the world of American youth soccer.
Speaking of current events, Cleary shared his excitement for the European championships and the Irish national team. His dream scenario would be for Ireland to make it out of its group and go on to enact revenge on France, who kept the Irish out of the 2010 World Cup thanks to a Thierry Henry handball.
Whether this scenario is possible, considering Ireland’s early loss to Croatia, remains to be seen.
As far as favorites go, Cleary loves Manchester United and has a fondness for Phil Jones, Wayne Rooney, Michael Essien, and Roy Keane. He is impressed with Jones who is ultra-athletic and plays numerous positions with ease.
The biggest theme to develop out of the interview was that coaches should always be studying the game, improving their methods, and that professional development is important for America to move forward.
With more coaches like Gerry Cleary, the sky is truly the limit for soccer in America.
Korrio understands it is your passion for coaching kids that drives you. We also know that the less time you spend dealing with administrative, communication and automation hassles, and the more time you spend on the field, the happier you’ll be. And because you play a crucial role in our children’s lives, we want you spending as much time as possible coaching our kids. Korrio offers a modern approach to coaching by allowing new ways to communicate and develop a community on and off the field. Congratulations to the ISN Star of Coaching this month!
Also be sure to read our recent conversation with Korrio brand ambassador Kristine Lilly as she discusses the future of women’s professional soccer.
Loved everything about this article, except that bit about winning the conference. Keep up the good work, Gerry.