WENATCHHEE, WA — (club press release) Wenatchee Football Club (WFC) is pleased to announce the appointment of John Wright as Head Coach and Neil Oyston as Assistant Coach of the club. Wenatchee United is one of the founding members of the Evergreen Premier League (EPLWA), the new adult Semi-Pro soccer league establishing its inaugural season in 2014.
“Both John and Neil have many years of soccer experience under their belts and we predict that together they will make a significant impact to the success of our team”, said Ed Wierzbicki, WFC General Manager. “We can’t wait to get them started assessing all the talented players we have available here in north central Washington and with that in mind we’re hoping to announce our tryout dates soon.”
John Wright, WFC’s first head coach.
John Wright’s soccer coaching career has recently revolved around the Wenatchee Valley College (WVC) men’s and women’s programs. He served as assistant coach for the WVC Knights men’s team from 2004 to 2006 (with the 2005 team becoming NWAACC champions), head women’s coach from 2005 to 2008 (taking the 2006 team to their first NWAACC Tournament appearance since 1999), head men’s coach in 2009, and returning as assistant women’s coach in 2013.
In addition to his collegiate experience, John has also been a youth soccer coach (Big River Soccer Club, Wenatchee Fire FC), a high school (2005 Entiat HS Boys) head coach and high school (2010 Wenatchee HS Girls) goalkeeper coach. John is originally from Thetford, England, and played for the Norwich FC Junior League before coming to the U.S. He holds a United States Soccer Federation “C” coaching license. Commenting on what WFC will mean for the Wenatchee regional area, John said “Having a hometown pro-style team to root for will be a wonderful thing for the community. I am eager for the challenge of putting a competitive product on the pitch for the fans to get behind.”
Neil Oyston, assistant coach and player.
Neil Oyston joins WFC not only as assistant coach but as a potential player as well. Also a British emigrant, Neil hails from Middlesbrough. He started his involvement with the sport at an early age with various regional clubs (including a stint at Leeds United Academy) and progressed to lead his club teams by either being team captain or assisting to coach. Neil continued playing soccer up through his college years at Leeds Metropolitan University, where he earned a sports marketing degree. In recent years he obtained his Football Association Level-1 coaching certification and has taken his skill set on the road by coaching at various youth soccer camps in the UK and America, including one in Wenatchee. Said Neil, “I’m looking forward very much to the upcoming EPLWA season and helping WFC prepare for its first campaign.”
With the signing of both John and Neil, WFC has completed the task of rounding out its 2014 coaching staff. Javier Reyna, club founder, has already previously been identified to serve as goalkeeper coach. Javier held the assistant/goalkeeper coach position at Cashmere High School from 2009 to 2011, and is the current assistant/goalkeeper coach for both the WVC men’s team and the Wenatchee Fire indoor semi-pro team. His certifications include a United States Soccer Federation “E” license and a National Soccer Coaches Association of America Level-2 goalkeeper coach license. “I believe we now have a very strong coaching group and are well positioned to move on to tryouts and player selections”, Javier said. “It’s going to be an exciting Spring.”
