Somerville Youth Soccer will hold a Pre-Season Coaches Clinic on Thursday, March 7th via Zoom that is open to coaches at all levels of play.  The event will begin at 7:00 pm, and the video link will be provided in the week prior to the clinic.

The featured speaker for the clinic is Tony Martone, who recently completed his 42nd season as the Head Men’s Soccer Coach at Merrimack College.  Coach Martone ranks as one of the winningest coaches across all three levels of NCAA play with 426 career victories for the Warriors, including his milestone 400th win against Central Connecticut in 2019.

Tony guided Merrimack to five trips to the NCAA Division II tournament from 2012-2017 before the institution transitioned to NCAA Division I status.  In 2018, the Warrior program earned Northeast Conference Staff of the Year accolades to add to Martone’s already impressive resume that includes two New England Intercollegiate Soccer Association Coach of the Year and two Eastern Massachusetts Soccer Coaches Association College Coach of the Year honors.  He was named as the Northeast-10 Conference Coach of the Year on four occasions and was recognized by Soccer New England as ‘The person who did the most for soccer in 1994’.  Tony was inducted into the Massachusetts Senior Soccer Hall of Fame in 2005.

For his dedication and professional accomplishments in the coaching world, Martone was named the U.S. Adult Soccer Association Region I Coach of the Year and the runner-up National Coach of the Year following the 2006-07 season.

Along with coaching the Warriors, Martone has been involved with many other soccer programs across the New England Region, ranging from youth to the professional level. Professionally, he has coached with the Boston Bolts of the ASL and the Cape Cod Crusaders of the USISL – both of which qualified for postseason play in each of his seasons behind the bench - and has also worked with the coaching staff and management of the Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution, primarily as a scout.

Several of Martone’s players have moved on to play at various levels of the US National Teams, including the Men’s National team and the Olympic team, as well as several professional teams across the world. Further, over 50 of his former athletes have gone on to join the coaching ranks at the college and/or professional levels.

One of the most rewarding experiences for Martone came in 1994, when he was selected as the Competition Manager for the Boston/Foxboro venue for the 1994 World Cup. In his capacity, he was responsible for overseeing all aspects of competition, including the management of all the World Cup games played in Boston. For his efforts, he was recognized by US Soccer and World Cup USA 1994 as ‘the best competition manager in the country.’

The SYS Pre-Season Coaches Clinic will provide an opportunity to learn from one of the most successful coaches in the region about drills, tactics, preparation, and other aspects of the game.  We are honored to have Coach Martone join us prior to the start of the spring season to share his expertise in so many areas.

For more information on the SYS Pre-Season Coaches Clinic, please email executivedirector@somervillesoccer.org.