When Wayne Ward accepted the Pleasant Valley Girls Soccer head coach position last year, he promised a future. Now, less than a year later, the girls of the soccer program are once again on the hunt for a new coach. Ward, on the other hand, has found a new home on the opposite end of things with the boys’ team, which includes his two sons. Although rumor has it that Ward used the girls’ job as a foot in the door to the boys’ program, girls assistant coach Nick Newman stated, “Coach Ward’s departure was unexpected, even though I joke that Corbin Stone (the previous head coach of the boys’ team) would persuade him into taking it in the spring… I think I speak for the whole team when I say I’m very happy he will spend as much time coaching his sons as possible.”
Ward’s departure left the girls program in a difficult situation. The new coach will be the third coach they’ve had in three years. Senior Grace Necker states “It is completely unfair to get two new coaches in a row and be expected to be successful. It hurts the development of the PV Girls’ Soccer program as a whole, not just at the high school level.”
With the start of the school year come and gone, and no signs of a new coach being hired, the players are starting to worry. Necker said, “When a new coach is hired for each new season, it wastes time. The beginning of the season is focused more on individual players rather than improving as a team. Practices become less efficient and scheduling isn’t well organized. Hiring a new coach should be a top priority so he or she is able to get to know the players before the season starts, and then practices are able to be more team-oriented.”
Although the season doesn’t start until early April, the soccer team is desperate for a new coach. This time, hopefully, they are looking for a more long-term commitment.
