From the age of 4, I have loved working hard for many coaches and teams in the sport I found to be my pride and joy.

I was introduced to soccer through Stratford’s  Intramural Soccer League program. Since then, I have spent countless hours playing on many teams.

One of the major factors when I would select a team to play on was the coach. I would find sources to ask about him and find things out like: Does he love the sport? Does he love his team? How does he treat his team? And other questions about his overall personality.

The best coaches I’ve had always got the most out of their players because the players wanted to play for that coach. They wanted to impress him and win with a team they loved. That is a special kind of team and it’s hard to find.

Growing up in Stratford and seeing the varsity soccer team compete, I always noticed something different about them. Not only did they rarely lose, but they had true compassion for each other and for the game.

Coach Iain Jones also saw that compassion. In fact, he was a part of it.

I’ve known coach Iain for many years,  whether it was playing against him or training with him. I always noticed that he answers my questions in a very positive manner.

He loves the sport, he loves his team, and he treats them well. When I heard that he was going to be Stratford’s new head coach, I got very excited. I knew how much he loved Stratford and soccer and I knew that with him, the energy would rise throughout the program.

He expects Stratford soccer to be at a very high level because he left it at that level after winning a state title when he was a student here. He plans to bring back many old traditions that he sees as essential to the Stratford soccer family.

I am excited to be a part of coach Iain’s genesis here at Stratford. He sets the standard