Mark B.

Growing up in Ireland, I have been playing both soccer and rugby since I was a small child. I was always better at rugby but my passion was always soccer. After moving to New York just over twenty years ago, I decided I needed to impart my knowledge to those that wanted to learn, so I went and got my coaching badges. I hold both a USSF B license and a National Diploma from the NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches of America Association). Since then I have worked as a coach with clubs, academies, and schools all over the NYC Metro area. I relocated to Southern California in early 2023 and since then have been working full time with Challenger Sports, coaching both their Tiny Tykes (ages 2-5) program at pre schools and working as a trainer with parent coaches in AYSO programs (ages 7-12) around the LA area. I am comfortable working with very young children, college students, and all age groups in between.

I started playing both soccer and rugby at the age of five. In soccer I played at clubs all over my hometown of Limerick (Ireland) and of course played every day at and after school with friends. In rugby I joined Garryowen Rugby Club at age 9 and started at scrum half for the next three years until I left for boarding school. At age 12 I went to boarding school at Rockwell College in Co. Tipperary, where I continued to play both rugby and soccer, eventually being selected for both the school's soccer and rugby senior teams.

Before planning a session for a client I first have a detailed discussion about where they think they are in their development, what they feel they need to work on, and what their end goal is. Once I have this information I can get into planning sessions tailored specifically to their needs, constantly making small changes based on what I'm seeing when we're training together.