As spring soccer season gets into full swing, McLean Today talks with McLean Youth Soccer’s new program director Michael Newhall. McLean Youth Soccer offers year-round programming for children aged 3-19 years old from the recreational level through the elite level in the form of teams, leagues, camps, clinics and more.
Q. Tell us about your soccer journey.
I grew up in Northern Virginia and I’ve played soccer since I was three years old. I went to West Springfield High School and played in high school and college. I started coaching camps when I was 16. I started coaching actual teams when I was 19.
Q. What led you to McLean Youth Soccer?
I’ve been coaching in this area for the last seven years in terms of club teams. I’ve been with Vienna for the past seven years and thoroughly enjoyed my time there. But when the opportunity came to make the switch to McLean as a program director, I jumped at it. The staff is great, the players are great and the community is great.
Q. When did you become the new program director?
I am very fresh to the program. I started in March. I’ve gotten a couple of weeks here to meet the staff and everyone’s been so nice and helpful. My transition… has been super easy. So I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it so far.
Q. What is your role as a program director?
I’m involved in all things programs, whether it is staffing, talking to parents on site, and making sure everything’s organized. I work with travel teams, recreational teams, [and] camps. Any kind of program we do, I’m a part of it.
Q. What are your goals for McLean Youth Soccer?
To grow the program. Everyone I’ve talked to has told me that the programs are great. We just need a couple of things cleaned up and organized to help bring in more kids to the community. We have such a vast community of kids in the area that we want to bring in. I have [been] tasked to come in here and grow each program as much as I possibly can.
Q. Do you have any future plans for McLean Youth Soccer?
My future plans will happen in the fall. I’ve talked to a couple of the directors in the program and we have some exciting opportunities [coming] up in the fall. I can’t reveal those just yet but right now our summer camps are all set. So stay tuned.
Q. Who is your favorite soccer player and soccer team?
My favorite team is Manchester United. I’ve been a Manchester fan my entire life. My favorite player of all time was David Beckham. He played for United for a very long time.
Q. What other sports do you play?
I grew up playing sports. I was a kid who focused on playing soccer in terms of an actual team but when it comes to backyard sports, I [played] football, basketball, hockey. Most of my time when I was younger was spent playing backyard football. And then my family is a hockey family. My brother played college hockey, so we grew up playing hockey in the street. As an adult, I’ve gotten extremely into playing pickleball. It’s my favorite sport to play right now outside of soccer. I pickleball three to four times a week.
To read more about McLean Youth Soccer: https://mcleansoccer.org/
To meet McLean Youth Soccer’s executive director: https://mcleantoday.org/talk-louise-waxler/
Interview by Dania Reza. Reza is the social media content curator for McLean Today. She is a senior at McLean High school and is the design editor-in-chief of her award-winning school news magazine, The Highlander.
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