Meet Ryan Weldon: Head girls soccer coach at Satellite HS
SATELLITE BEACH, Fla. — The eleven players are lined up and the game is ready to start. The goalie is giving last-minute instructions to the sweeper and defensive backs and reminding them to keep the ball out of the box as much as possible. The Lady Scorps are starting the game with the kickoff and strategizing before the ref blows the whistle. FWEET! and the center nudges the ball to her right forward and off they go down the field. Soccer is an exciting sport with non-stop action and very popular in Brevard County, as we are fortunate in Florida to be able to play sports outdoor year-round.
Coach Weldon has been coaching the women’s soccer team at Satellite High School (SHS) since 2009, with a stint as the coach of the men’s program years before. This past season, 2020-2021, was his 25th season coaching overall!
A love for the game of soccer got Coach Weldon into his first coaching job at the young age of 15! What was once called “Satellite Beach Soccer Club”, is now Beachside Impact and he has continued coaching in the program since his teen years.
Coach Weldon is an effective coach because he studies “the game from developmental to professional. Keeping up with current effective coaching philosophies and establishing a player first approach with my teams,” he says. Coaches need to keep up with the philosophies and continue to grow to be effective. Also, having the player in mind first is a great way to build a team, relationships, and trust.
He has a lot of great moments in coaching, but his best is watching athletes he has coached grow in the sport and maturity. In addition, he has coached kids from a young age through their high school years and even has some of these kids as coaching peers in the sport! He loves to see the former players coach the younger generation and see things he taught the kids show up in their coaching. Also, he is lucky to be able to coach his favorite player, his daughter, who is a sophomore at the high school and on his team.
Memorable victories are the 2019-2020 Satellite High Varsity team had success, winning districts, and making a deep playoff run. He is hoping to continue the success this season.
We know that in sports, not all coaches are successful. Sometimes it is due to the lack of passion, or not wanting to continue to grow in a sport, or not looking at what is important. Coach Weldon is, “constantly researching ideas to become better as a coach and integrate ideas into my training sessions. I show up to every training session with a specific goal in mind and a plan to try to achieve it. I like taking ideas and adapting or improving on them to help my players develop and pushing them to reach higher.”
The coaching and growing don’t stop on the field, at home, he is always watching soccer and reading a book or two on coaching ideas. Successful coaches are forever learners and that is what makes them achieve what they are looking for.
Each season is a new season in sports. Coach Weldon prepares by carrying an index card that has session ideas for what he wants to teach his girls but also what he wants the outcome to be at the end. Once he has the “X’s and O’s the way I want, they get transferred to a more permanent book. Someone once asked me what all the little “maps” were for on my countertop and in my car console,” says Weldon. That is an example of always thinking about the game, strategizing, and growing.
In addition to coaching at SHS, he is a Health Education teacher. Being on campus allows him to establish a rapport and grow the relationship with his players. He also continues to coach the ’04 Beachside Impact Elite Girls team and is the Technical Director for the club. This allows him to watch the players he has from all over the county mature in the sport he is so passionate about. When he isn’t coaching, he enjoys playing the guitar.
Coach Weldon is a great example of the passion and philosophies to make a great coach. Daily, he has an impact on not only his players but also the students in his classroom and also those he has coached over the years. The SHS soccer team finished up the regular season with a 12-1-4 record and beat Merritt Island, the number one seed to win the District Championship! As we go to press, SHS is 14-1-4 as they go into the Regional Quarterfinals on February 16. Good luck Scorps!
Continue to look for Coach Weldon on the sidelines as he teaches the youth about success and drive.
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