The Bartlett Travel Soccer Club (BTSC) is excited to announce that they have recently hired their very first “Director of Coaching and Player Development” for the club. After a Nationwide search, which had over 100 applications for the position and application’s from as far away as Italy and even Africa, BTSC is excited to announce that Simon Brinklow will take up the position as of June 1, 2006. 

Simon Brinklow has been coaching youth soccer for over ten years in Europe and the US and currently holds his NSCAA Premier Diploma (the highest coaching qualification the NSCAA offer), the USSF Youth License (again, the highest qualification the USSF offers for coaches who work with children) and his UEFB B License. His knowledge, experience, contacts, and love of the community make him the ideal BTSC Director of Coaching. Brinklow, played professionally in Europe when he was younger and is a graduate of De Montfort University in England where he graduated with a BA Degree in Sports Science.

Brinklow is currently the Women’s Head Coach at Elgin Community College and will continue to work at the college. He is also co-owner of a Soccer training company Soccer Success (www.soccersuccess.com) which provides professional training and camps to children across the Chicagoland Area.

Brinklow stated that “I am excited to have been given the opportunity to work with BTSC in this capacity and would like to thank the current BTSC Board for hiring me. I have knowledge of the club and the community and I am looking forward to making a positive difference to children’s lives in the Bartlett area”.

The purpose of the program is two fold: to provide our players with professional resources during all stages of their soccer development, and to unify our club through consistent coaching philosophies and training methods. We are confident this program will ultimately produce highly skilled and disciplined players that will represent BTSC with dignity at the club, high school, college and beyond.

The organizational structure of the club will remain intact, with the Board of Directors responsible for ongoing operations and policy making. The Director of Coaching, while accountable to the Board of Directors, will have control over all on-field issues, and oversight of player development. The current format will be maintained, but the educational resources available to our volunteer coaches will greatly increase. This will include coaching clinics and the availability of members of the club coaching staff to assist with training sessions and games. All members of the club coaching staff will be appropriately licensed and held to a high standard of ability and behavior.

Additionally, BTSC will continue to add (and run) quality programs for the “soccer community”. These will include Summer Camps, Jr. Hawks Academy, Chicago Nationals Alliance program and more. BTSC will continue to keep our community values which have helped us grow and offer soccer to the community over the years! It is exciting times for Bartlett Travel Soccer Club (BTSC) and with our new Director of Coaching and Player Development the future for the club and children in the community has never looked brighter.