McCready Named New Girls U10-U12 Director

Tuesday, April 16, 2024

The Spokane Sounders and Shadow are excited to announce that longtime club coach Ali McCready has been appointed as the new Girls U10-12 Director of Coaching for the club beginning with the upcoming 2024-25 season.

A coach in the club for most of the past 22 years (she took a few off for family/work), McCready has been a shining example in the community when it comes to helping young girls transition into dedicated and well-rounded young ladies on and off the pitch for two decades. She has spent the past three years guiding the younger Girls Academy teams as a continuation of guiding some of the top sides in the club over her career. She also previously coached U9-12 boys and girls teams in the past, giving her the perfect experience for guiding players from the U10-U12 period onto the next phase of their development as well as serving as a mentor for coaches in that department.

“I am grateful and excited for the opportunity to take on the role as the girls Director of Coaching for the U10-U12 age group,” said McCready. “Throughout my coaching career, my primary focus has always been the development of the player. I’m looking forward to building on that to include supporting and collaborating with our dedicated age group coaches. I hope to aid our coaches in creating a positive enriching experience that facilitates both the holistic growth and a love for the game in each and every player we work with.

A coach for the club dating back to 2002, McCready is a staple among the second generation of coaches in the club that are former club or college players for previous Shadow Technical Director Sean Bushey, whom she played for at Whitworth.

“My four years at Whitworth definitely made me into a much better player. I had never had that level of coaching before. The impact of my time playing soccer at Whitworth led me straight into coaching after graduating in 2001. I was very fortunate to have four incredible coaching mentors during my early years. Sean Bushey, Jeff Robbins, Stu Saunders and Kevin Moon all helped shape who I am as a coach today.”

McCready has watched over some great talent over the past three years in the Girls Academy as the program represented the entire northwest region as the GA Champions Cup representatives from the conference. And many of those players have grown into Talent ID selections and are currently among the top players in the region in club and high school.

“Ali is a pillar of the Spokane Soccer Community. She is one of the longest standing staff members of the club – longer than myself,” said Technical Director Abbas Faridnia. “Her belief, values and ability has impacted not only some of the best soccer players ever from Spokane, but her impact with young female players goes beyond the game. We are lucky to have Ali as our Girls U10-U12 DoC.”

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