The Sports Initiative Podcast

Ryan Jorden is the UCLA men's head soccer coach. The Bruins posted a 6-9-3 record under Jorden in 2019, his first year at the helm, and he also continued his recruiting pedigree with his 2021 recruiting class earning a No. 4 national ranking from TopDrawerSoccer. Jorden arrived at UCLA with 23 years of collegiate coaching experience most recently serving as head coach at Pacific where he turned the Tigers into perennial national contenders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bobby Muuss is the Head Coach at Wake Forest University. In 2015 he led Wake Forest to a consensus No.1 ranking and a number one seed in the 2015 NCAA Tournament. He was also named the 2015 ACC coach of the year during this year. Prior to this role, he also worked at the University of Denver and University of Connecticut. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lee Smith is the Lead Foundation Phase coach at Southampton FC. He has worked for the club for over a decade and has a wealth of experience and knowledge in the development of young players. Formally of TeamBath football, Lee has also worked within the Professional Development Phase. Alongside his current role, Lee has now also undertaken a coach development brief where he aids individuals along their coaching journey, Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Steve Simmons is the Assistant Athletic Director and Head Women's soccer coach at Linfield University. Formally the head coach at Oregon State University, Steve has worked within University soccer for the last 2 decades. During this time he has worked with some of the best players in the country, and future MLS stars, such as David Mwanga, Emery Welshman and Khiry Shelton. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Walter Grandez is a performance coach for the Philadelphia Union. His main focus is on the physiological development of their academy players along with physiological potential of top prospects the academy are recruiting. Prior to his current role, Walter has also spent to time with the L.A Galaxy (soccer), Team USA (athletics) and Philadelphia Philies (baseball). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lucy Jane Matthews is a 100m hurdler for Great Britain. Placing 2nd at last years British Championships at just 17, Lucy is one of the upcoming stars in UK athletics. Currently finishing her A levels alongside her athletic endeavours, Lucy has received great bespoke support from Millfield school which has allowed her to realise her ambitions of being a high performance student athlete. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Haime is the president of New Edge Performance. Focusing on helping athletes prepare mental processes for elite performance, John's clients are diverse and span multiple leagues such as the MLB, NBA and NHL. Also an author, John's latest book ' Ride Big' delves into the importance of self confidence and awareness at the elite level. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sam Holmshaw is the host of the Sports coaching podcast. A Msc student from Leeds Beckett, Sam uses academic frameworks to inform his practical work with Ilkey Town AFC and his own academy 'The Holmshaw Academy'. In particular, he focuses on the creation and implementation of game models in session designs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gerwyn Griffiths is the U23's coach for Army football. A serving soldier in his own right, Gerwyn leads the team in it's preparation and completion of the intense 'Inter service games' against the Navy and RAF. Formally a Youth Development Phase coach at Yeovil Town, Gerwyn also has experience in youth development both as a coach but also as a coach mentor as part of his role at Ecan Pass N Support. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eric Laurie works for Molde FK in Norway. A academy coach in his own right, Eric specialises in the performances analysis department and supports the entire academy set up at Molde within this role. His work can also be found on social media, where he completes in depth analysis of high profile games for coaching learning. He has recently also become and ambassador for the Coaches Voice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.