FOUNDER OF MAVERICK SOCCER

IN HIS OWN WORDS

Soccer is my life. Plain and simple.

It has brought me more joy and despair than any other single thing I can think of. My closest friends, my favorite memories, even my wife, Alise, have all come about as a result of the effects of the beautiful game.

From as early as I can remember I have always been fascinated by 'football' as I knew it. As a youngster I would always go to watch Dad play. He was (and still is) an extremely talented sportsman and was the inspiration behind my passion for soccer-a true idol who continues to amaze me with his athletic achievements.

Spectating, from as young as 5 years old, I was often treated like Dad's team's mascot, involved in everything before and after games, and acting as ball-boy during. I used to love listening to the 'banter' between players in the changing rooms and witnessing the camaraderie that the game seemed to bring with it so effortlessly.

As I grew older, and particularly throughout my teenage years, I became more and more engrossed in both watching and playing the game, and had serious ambitions of becoming a professional player. Unfortunately the unparalleled competitive nature of top level play in England meant that my dreams were cut short when I failed to land a scholarship with EPL side, Sunderland AFC. But life went on. And the next chapter in my soccer life shaped who I am today.

Playing men's college and amateur soccer in England taught me so much about the intangible goodness that comes with playing the game, the stuff you don’t see initially when you're first observing. It would often take me back to the memories I had when I would watch Dad's team. The jokes shared before the game. The will to work that extra 10% harder in order to win the ball back for your team-mate. The common bond of pride that came with representing your home town.

It is this ‘togetherness’ that only team sports can create which I find so unique and amazing. And every time I see it in action on the local fields, it makes my decision to have dedicated so much time and effort back to the game through coaching so much more justifiable.

I hope that Maverick Soccer can play a part in developing a player who can play at the highest levels in the world game, but on a deeper scale I hope that my coaching style and philosophy will help all the people I am lucky enough to work with to see the game as I see it- a vehicle by which the greatest friends and memories can be made, and fine moral values embedded.

Non Pedicari Cupiunt!

Click here to read Jonny's full coaching biography

Jonny Sinclair

                Founder of Maverick Soccer

As an Englishman, Jonny has grown up surrounded by the game of soccer. At age 29, he already has over a decade of coaching experience, and 20-plus years of playing experience. Recently moved to Elmira, NY from the UK, he has represented EPL side Sunderland AFC at the U-17 level, and was a 3-year starter at Northumbria University, where he reached the British Universities Championship Final in 2003, and was chosen for the North-England University Select XI.

Academically, Jonny holds a BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science and is a certified teacher who combines his passion for education and soccer by running his own soccer coaching business, Maverick Soccer. He holds numerous coaching qualifications, including the USSF National Youth License, NSCAA Advanced National Diploma, and the UK’s 1^st4Sport Level 2 Certificate in Coaching Football.

Jonny currently coaches High School and Club soccer in Elmira, as well as being Soaring Capital’s Developmental Director of Coaching, and is a proud member of NYSWYSA’s ODP and Instructional staff.