Liverpool Coaches Retreat 2013 - The Best Yet
Each year Liverpool FC America coaches experience a full weekend of club camaraderie and fun as the “Liverpool Coaches Retreat” provides a unique opportunity for the entire coaching staff to experience top flight coaching education, team building workshops, information on club growth and club direction as well as short and long term goals for the club. Liverpool’s fierce determination to surround our staff and coaches with the finest resources possible is seen clearly in a weekend dedicated to the “coach” and their needs. The retreat offers every coach a rare opportunity to stand united as one club staff discussing the future club and finding solutions, creating strategies and learning how to work together as a team. Faced with an ever changing marketplace each year, the staff consistently faces all challenges head-on with humor, professionalism and a dedication throughout the retreat bringing into clear focus what it actually “means to be a part of Liverpool.”
This year, the club enthusiastically welcomed back Steve Ockerboom from Operation Explore who led the staff through four amazing team building activities. Throughout the retreat, our Directors of Coaching Tom Blencoe of Central Texas and Chris Pulpaneck of North Texas along with Lee Weddall our Academy Director introduced 10 new coaching education sessions. These sessions were supported by Senior Staff Coach Matt Veasey and Academy Coach Rob Napier. After team bonding activities that included identifying a “illusionary sabatour” a competition of cake decorating that involved more than 16 gallons of icing and an amazing effort by all 49 coaches to create a 16” high bridge from simple sheets of cardboard and duct tape strong enough to support a full golf cart, the coaches experienced the triumphs of what it means to work together and succeed as a group.
“Saturday evening is always a highlight of the retreat, ” remarked one coach. The dinner was an unbelievable five course meal designed especially for Liverpool by the AATCC and former Four Seasons Executive Chef Lenny Ventura. After the dinner, was a highlight video capturing our coaches and teams demonstrating the theme of the retreat this year, “What it means to be Liverpool followed by our coaching awards for the year. This is a time where the club recognizes extraordinary efforts on the part of many of our coaches throughout the year.
After the dinner and awards, the club welcomed Joe Januszewski, Senior Vice-President of the Texas Rangers as the keynote speaker. Joe “Jan” as he is known in the sports industry was the key point person for the due-diligence team that led to the purchase and ownership of Liverpool FC, England by the Fenway Sports Group last year. Joe “Jan” recapped for the LFCA coaches not only his love of Liverpool, but also reminded the coaches of the extraordinary effort it takes by so many people to make a dream and a passion come to life. He stepped back in time to show the process and development of not only his love of the game of soccer, but more importantly, his love of what he deemed “his team” throughout his life. In a very poignant moment, he shared with the staff what it meant to him to actually stand in front of Liverpool’s First Team including Gerrard and Suarez and welcome them to the Fenway Sports Group.
