Role of Technical Manager for Soccer

The role of a technical manager (the name of the role may change from place to place) in soccer is to oversee player development and the coaching staff to ensure proper development and on-field success. Whether an organization is youth based or professional, the effectiveness of the technical manager has a direct impact on the organization's ability to achieve it goals.

  1. Responsibility

    • Technical managers for youth-based organizations are responsible for oversight of coaches and ensuring the organization's player development and program enrollment goals are met. Responsibilities for technical managers in professional organizations can include meeting development of youth players in the organization as well overseeing the coaching staff and players on the professional squad.

    Youth Organizations

    • Using American soccer as an example, youth clubs and regional organizations almost always have someone serving in a role commonly called technical manager, technical director or director of coaching. Those individuals handle different programs and projects depending on the scope of the organization, including managing and assigning coaches, developing curriculum, overseeing teams and players, and running camps and tryouts.

    Professional Teams

    • The success of professional teams around the globe fall on the ability of technical managers to develop youth talent and build the teams fans pay to see. In some cases, a single individual may handle both roles, but often different positions are established for youth development and putting together the first team.

      For example, England's Liverpool had Jose Segura serving as academy technical manager in 2010 under academy director Frank McParland, while Rafa Benitez has been in charge of Liverpool's first team since 2004. Conversely, DC United's Dave Kasper, who was hired as technical director in 2002 and has seen his title change to general manager, is the person responsible for working with United's coaching staff to build the first team and oversees the organization's youth development program.

    National Teams

    • Individuals in charge of technical development with national programs help with the identification and coaching of young talent and building the national teams that compete on the world stage. For example, U.S. Soccer hired retired U.S. international Claudio Reyna as youth technical director in 2010 to lead youth coach and player development in the United States. This important position will help build the coaches and players who will feature prominently in the United States in the future.

    Experience

    • Technical leadership positions require a wealth of education and experience. For example, Mass Youth Soccer's technical director, Tom Goodman, has USSF "A" and USSF National Youth Licenses. Jose Segura previously worked with FC Barcelona, AEK Athens and Olympiacos, while Kasper was All-ACC at the University of Maryland, played with the U.S. U20 National Team, Milwaukee Wave and Pittsburgh Stingers, and worked with the New England Revolution and Pittsburgh Riverhounds.