Today we have the pleasure of introducing Coach John Willham, head coach for the G06 Red team. Here’s more about John is his own words…
I grew up in Indiana and then moved to Tennessee where I met my wife, Kathleen (we just had our 20th anniversary a few weeks ago)! I’m a chemical engineer, and 15 years ago I took a job opportunity that brought us out to the Beehive State. We love it here! We have two daughters, twins, both CFC’ers through and through!
I’ve been coaching soccer for 9 years now. Like a lot of coaches, it all started with getting involved in Rec soccer for my own girls and their friends. (A funny note, when the girls were just starting rec soccer on a co-ed team, one of their friends on the team was the son of RSL legend, Javier Morales. That was such a fun season, but man did I ever feel some pressure!) In 2016, we joined the CFC family. It was then when I got my E License and eventually attained my D License in 2017.
I started out as an assistant coach for our U11 Girls 2006 squad and then eventually took the reins as head coach in 2018. It was that same year that I also took over as head coach for our G’05 squad. This season I coached our Girls U16 High School Provisionals and will continue on as the HC for the Girls 2006 and AC for the Girls 2005 squads in the Spring. We definitely get a full-serving of soccer throughout the year! I have to give a shout out to all of my awesome assistant coaches on both squads – they are awesome teammates and I appreciate their support and commitment. When I’m not coaching – it’s a safe bet that you will find me out on the bike (road and mountain), on the trails, out camping or on the slopes in the winter. You might also find me at an RSL match or watching my beloved Purdue Boilermakers.
I have been involved with and playing sports all my life. Growing up, I played mostly baseball, basketball and soccer but transitioned to football, baseball and track in high school. The underlying driver being that sports are fun. These are all games after all – they are supposed to be fun! A friend gave me a book: Changing the Game: The Parent’s Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to Our Kids, which really establishes my approach to coaching. It is a quick read and it discusses a lot of the aspects that CFC stands for and represents for our youth. Essentially, make the experience fun and good things will happen.
The experience of coaching these young women has been more than I could have ever hoped for. Being part of their journey from U11s to now U16s has been an awesome experience that I am thankful for. I try to help them bring out their best and they also have pushed me to do the same.
