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About the Team: The Magic organization is committed to bringing top quality women's soccer to Millburn, and to the growth and development of youth and adult soccer throughout Northern New Jersey and the United States. We achieve this by promoting soccer through an involvement in the community at large, and providing quality family entertainment to our supporters. We play in the East Coast Conference, with the opportunity of regional play-offs and national finals. As an amateur league, our players are typically playing with high level college programs through the fall, and with the Magic May through the start of August. There are no professional players on the Magic roster, or in the league as a whole. The 2008 team will include several players with previous professional and international experience, along with local talent from Millburn and the surrounding communities. The Millburn Magic offers elite players from Northern NJ an opportunity to progress through the US soccer system by competing in a national level league. About the Coaching: Millburn Magic Head Coach Andy Sones Andy Sones has developed a reputation as an outstanding communicator and educator of soccer players over more than a decade. The evidence of that are many of his former players – those from his early coaching career in England are now international players and at clubs like Manchester United and Chelsea. In addition, many young players have graduated from his teams to strong collegiate programs across the United States. The constant theme through his coaching career is the development of players though increasing their understanding of the game. "Too many trainers and coaches develop players that rely on their instruction rather than teaching players to understand the game themselves" he says. "Real player development is about giving players the knowledge and understanding of how to make their own good soccer decisions".
A former youth player in the English Premier League with Charlton Athletic, Andy began his coaching career at their Center of Excellence, before moving to fellow Premiership side West Ham United, and eventually Manchester United, where he saw and experienced youth development at work in one of the most successful clubs in the world. Coaching there, he saw at first hand the benefits of progressive training philosophies in the development of soccer players, working within a program which effectively develops and maximizes the ability of players from six years from age through to the experienced internationals. After a time working for the English Football Association, Andy took his first college head coaching position at Bedford College, developing a program which won two Regional Championships in three years. His next job was at Leicester College where he took on a men's program in decline, and started the women's program. In three years, his men's teams reached the last eight and final four of the National Championship - winning the conference and cup along the way. Sones combined his role as the Director of Football at Leicester City Ladies with the development of a women's team won the National Championship in an unbeaten 23-0 season.
Through his time across these teams and clubs, Sones has played a role in developing many players now playing professionally at the highest levels, including England international stars Rio Ferdinand, Joe Cole and Andy Johnson, as well as the 2002 Irish World Cup standout Gary Doherty. In recent years, many young men and women have graduated through his teams into strong D1 and D3 college soccer programs, including Princeton, UPenn, Brown, Johns Hopkins, Hartwick, Iona, Brown, and The College of New Jersey (among others). At the youth level, Andy has coached teams to four Regional finals, won High School and Super Y-League conference titles, and helped his teams to numerous tournament wins across the east coast of the United States.
Andy has a Bachelors degree in Sport Science, a Masters in Sports Management, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Research Methods and Design, and specialized qualifications in sports nutrition sport psychology and fitness training. He also holds a UEFA 'B' Coaching License, USSF coaching certification, and the NSCAA Director of Coaching Diploma.
Type of Players: High School, College, Post College, International
Local Colleges: Rutgers, Farleigh Dickinson, Kean, Montclair State, Drew, Monmouth, St Peter’s and William Patterson.
Player Tryouts: |