Directors Behind the Scenes – Bryan Hernandez

Wednesday, December 4, 2024

It is a good thing he is a goalkeeper because Bryan Hernandez has a hand in many different roles within the club, taking upon most recently the role of DPL Director in addition to overseeing older goalkeepers in the club and coaching teams. The three-fold role keeps him busy and involved with many facets within the club.

“What I enjoy about my role(s) with the club is the fact that I get to work with our amazing staff and admin every day. Besides the obvious engagement of coaching, there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes conversations that need to be held on a daily basis with office and staff to make sure everything is running efficiently.

“I collaborate a lot with fellow Gonzaga coach Kevin Schenk in the goalkeeper department regarding the younger keepers. That can be either just a quick conversation on our current state of our sessions/goalkeepers and then as well is trying to plan some of the expectations for the season in regard to the approach our goalkeepers are having during game days and so on.

“I oversee the administrative side of the DPL teams. That can be either sorting out schedules for the season, talking with our awesome coaches about how things are going or just seeing how things can be better for the season and the following season after that.”

And then there is his head coaching role.

“When I first landed in Spokane, I was 100 percent against coaching teams, but that perception slowly drifted away after one or two seasons. Now I have a new-found love for coaching teams… and it’s close to my love for goalkeeping,” he added with a chuckle.

He currently coaches the BU19 ECNL RL team and the 2010 GA team, but his year-to-year assignments are flexible based on the club’s needs and his responsibilities with the Gonzaga Men’s program… and being a new dad.

But much like the role of goalkeeper, which requires guiding the players in front of you; Hernandez has learned how to manage the various roles into a cohesive unit.

“What I have learned about my role is how efficient I can be at multitasking. With a two-year old at home and sorting out administrative things that happen throughout the day, I have fully embraced dad mode and have never thought I could be as good at juggling multiple things at once.”

But as much as his administrative needs may require time at the computer screen, he is ultimately looking to get back outside to either the pitch or mother nature.

“Outside of football, I really do enjoy the great outdoors as my daughter Luna does embrace the tree hugger life – what most two-year olds like to do to a certain degree. It makes me enjoy breathing the outside air as much as I can.”

Oh, and if you are looking to offload some vintage gear. You may want to give him a buzz.

“I enjoy collecting football boots and goalkeeper gloves. The nerd inside of me comes out when there is a new cleat/goalkeeper glove being released or if I find a relic of some older boots or gloves on Ebay or something like that.”