AFC Ann Arbor have announced today the next addition to their inaugural women’s side’s coaching staff. Andy Pritchard’s head assistant coach will be Barry Scott. Scott is a coach who spent over a decade in the state of Michigan with the Michigan Jaguars, and spent an additional decade before his time with the Jaguars as a coach.
Scott’s accomplishments on the youth level are impressive with the Jaguars. Scott led the U-17 Michigan Jaguars boys’ team to a United States Youth Soccer national championship in 2012. The side included ex-Michigan State Spartans and MLS Draftees Ken Krolicki and Jimmy Hague, along with Western Michigan and NPSL standout Zach Bock. He followed that up this past summer with another Youth Soccer national championship, this time with the Jaguars’ Green U-14 girls’ side.
Andy Pritchard, the AFC Ann Arbor head coach, had some kind words for a man he has known for seventeen years. “Barry has pretty much won everything in youth soccer there is to win, as well as having professional playing experience back home in Scotland. That I think will help at the higher level.” Scott added to Pritchard’s description of their familiarity, “We both came over to the US with Britannia soccer in the late 90s…I was in Michigan and he was in Cleveland. He then came to Michigan and the rest, as they say, is history.” The pair have a long-running personal history and will be set to work together for the AFCAA women’s side set to debut in the UWS for its 2019 season.
Born in Scotland, Scott’s qualifications are just as impressive as his accolades. He is a USSF A License holder to go with an SFA C License from the Scottish FA. With coaching certifications both in the United States and overseas, it is sure that he will add knowledge and experience along with his expertise.
In speaking with Scott, he is looking forward to everything about the season. “I am really excited about seeing some of the players I used to coach and coach against.” As a head assistant, he foresees his key aspects of the job to be similar to Pritchard’s, both recruiting and developing players to join The Mighty Oak. Scott thinks not just short term, for the AFCAA team’s health, but for the players as a whole, “We want [to] build a successful program while making sure that we continue to develop the players we have to be better, so that they can return to their college programs and will have [taken] steps in their development.”
Finally, when asked about what appealed to Scott about the AFCAA organization, the new member of the coaching staff had plenty in mind, “It’s a great organization that has done really well on the men’s side and very much a part of the community.” He continued, saying, “I am excited to be a part of the program and to work with my long-time friend is going to be fun.” For fans of The Mighty Oak, the happiness and light air Scott speaks of the game he loves is sure to rouse excitement for the season to come.