GREENVILLE—Brad Feldner, the new Green Wave varsity boys’ soccer coach, brings a wealth of experience to the program, a program on a path of rebuilding.
“We’re on a six to eight-year rebuild schedule starting with kids from seven to eight years old all the way up,” said Feldner.
Coach Feldner is president of the Darke County Soccer Association and has coached select soccer for four years and formerly coached SAY Soccer (Soccer Association for Youth, USA). He also has all four US Soccer Grass Roots Pathway licenses and the 11V11 and 7V7 person soccer licenses.
Darke County Soccer Association board member Clint Wright will assist Coach Feldner as the team’s assistant coach. Wright is a former high school soccer player and coach of select soccer. His daughter plays soccer for the Lady Wave soccer program.
‘I’m not the coach that is going to be on the sidelines screaming at kids or anything like that,” Feldner stated. “Our conversations with the kids and our program’s core values, everything we have instilled this year, have a lot to do with not only good performance on the pitch but also life lessons and character building for beyond high school sports and on.”
The 2023 boys’ soccer program listed 11 players on the team roster, the exact number needed to play a grueling 80-minute match, allowing for no substitutions during the entire contest. Feldner currently has 14 players going into the 2024 season and is hoping to add more athletes to the roster.
“Anyone who knows a high school boy who possibly wants to play soccer even though they have never played before, they are what we are looking for,” said Feldner. “That’s what we’re here for as coaches: to teach them so we are still taking kids if they would like to come out and try soccer. We want to continue to build the program, build interest in the program and excitement for it.”
The Green Wave boys soccer program will be holding a Skill-a-Thon and fundraiser on August 16th from 6 pm – 7 pm at the west practice fields (behind the high school gymnasium) in support of the program.
“There are five areas the players can choose to participate in,” Feldner noted. “We will have penalty kicks, passing competition, punt (the longest punt), volley and cross competition, and goalie wars. In each of those events, there are objectives they can hit and score points. The boys will ask for pledges, a certain dollar amount per point earned to earn money for the program.”
To support the boys’ soccer program, contact Coach Feldner at [email protected] or the Greenville Athletic Boosters. Information is also available on the boosters’ website.
