We are excited to introduce Coach Mark Stevens who coaches our Girls 08 Red team. Mark has been with Cottonwood FC since 2017. He and his team are known for their incredible work ethic, great camaraderie, and big team spirit. Here’s more about Coach Mark:
1. Briefly introduce us. I am the proud #girldad of 3 lovely ladies, married to Lindsi Stevens coming up on 18 years. And an elderly black lab named Jack. I’ve spent all but 2 years of my life in the Sandy, UT area with a short stint in the Florida Panhandle.
2. How did you get started with coaching soccer? Kind of by accident. For convenience we wanted both of our daughters to play at the same field when they played Sandy Rec. As a compromise i agreed to coach a team if we played at the Park i wanted. That was a launching pad for me and I soon realized how fun it was to coach girls. I ended my illustrious soccer playing career at age 10 but I grew up playing any sport that involved a ball. I loved the strategy and competition so Coaching quickly became a passion.
3. What is your favorite thing about coaching? Trying to make girls better as players and people, helping kids reach their goals and potential as people. Seeing the light bulb go on when players understand a skill or concept, creating a TEAM that has the same goal, running practice. As a player growing up I LOVED practice so I carry that as a coach. Practice is thrilling for me and I love seeing kids develop their skills and competitive fire. Then seeing everything come together on the field as kids learn to play together.
4. Any personal soccer philosophies? I am a strong believer in cohesion and culture and how that translates on the field. When a team has a strong bond and really care about each other as people, they will compete collectively at a higher rate on the field. I also view sports as a tremendous outlet and escape from real life. The soccer field is a bit of a sanctuary for players, it’s a place where they can let off some steam or stress in a healthy way, they can tap into their personality they might not express off the field. As a coach I like to encourage players to make their time count, make their touches count, and realize how far hard work and effort can take them. One of the biggest lessons I learned as an observer and early on as a coach (with limited playing experience) is how vital ball control is. Since i’ve had most of my players since they were in Kindergarten we’ve spent a big portion of training working on ball mastery. This is the foundation for success no matter what you are trying to accomplish as a player, as a team.
5. When you aren’t coaching soccer what do you do for a living? I wish I could live comfortably getting paid to coach soccer but that is not in the cards so to pay the bills I work in management of a medical equipment finance and rental company. It’s a great place where we have the opportunity to help a lot of people across the U.S.A
6. Hobbies? I love to golf as much as I can, I’ve been fortunate to play several world renown courses in wonderful places. I love to read, especially U.S. History and many other topics, I am a retired pick up basketballer and softball leaguer. I also love to create, mostly through baking and I have a variety of original recipes for baked goods. I spend my fair share of time in the kitchen at home. If I had the choice I will spend time with my wife and girls doing whatever it is that they want to do and because of that, I know how to paint nails, flatten or braid hair, I can tell you just about anything about most Disney movies. And I don’t even hate shopping. I love to see new places, if I had more time I would travel more.
7. Anything else we should know about you? The most random things you might never know about me is that I love squirrels, they look like they have a blast just living so I would love to be a squirrel for a day. I can also write my name with my toes :)8. How long have you been coaching with CFC?I’ve been coaching with CFC since Summer 2017 and I look forward to many more great year with a club that I’ve come to love being part of and supporting.
