Coaches

CHRIS RAMSEY MBE

SIG Soccer Accelerator Coaching Director

Confirmed for 2024

Chris is a former professional footballer who played and coached in all four professional divisions in England. His coaching career spans more than 30 years. At Tottenham Hotspur, he was a co-architect of a world-class player development program with the current FA Technical Director John McDermott. He progressed to become the first team coach where he assisted Tim Sherwood and Les Ferdinand in the Premier League.

As Regional Director for the FA, he worked with the England national youth teams from U16 to U20, and is the first Black male coach of an English National team.

For nine years Chris worked at Queens Park Rangers, in a variety of roles under Director of Football Les Ferdinand. He became the first team manager during their time in the Premier League and Championship. His most current role included overseeing the club’s technical program as Technical Director / Head of Coaching, serving as the bridge between the Academy and first team.

BRAD FRIEDEL

SIG Soccer Accelerator Featured Coach

Confirmed for 2024

Brad is a true superstar goalkeeper with a decorated club career that spanned more than 20 professional seasons, including 17 in the English Premier League and 13 years with the USMNT. He made 450 appearances in the EPL with four clubs: Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa, and Tottenham Hotspur. He collected 82 international caps and was a member of three World Cup and two Olympic squads. He played for UCLA where he earned the Hermann Trophy in 1992 as college soccer’s best player. Brad was elected to the Soccer Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

MANISHA TAILOR MBE

SIG Soccer Accelerator Featured Coach

Confirmed for 2024 

Manisha is the Assistant Head of Academy Coaching for Queens Park Rangers, the first woman of South Asian heritage in such a position in all of English football. She has also worked as a scout for Brentford. At the invitation of Chris Ramsey, Manisha began volunteering at the Queens Park Rangers Academy, working as Assistant Coach of the club’s Under-9s team. She started working full-time with QPR after applying for the Premier League’s Elite Coach Apprenticeship Scheme. 

Tailor’s second book, Dream Like Me: South Asian Football Trailblazers, was published in 2022. She also runs a company called Swaggarlicious, which carries out various initiatives in the fields of mental health, diversity and equality.

JENNA SCHILLACI

SIG Soccer Accelerator Featured Coach

Confirmed for 2024 

Jenna is the Women’s Academy Operations Manager for Tottenham Hotspur, members of the Barclay’s Women’s Super League. She retired in 2020 as captain of the team, after 12 seasons. A set-piece specialist, she started all but one of Spurs’ FA Women’s Championship games in 2018/19, scoring two goals.

Jenna also works for several media outlets including the BBC and Sky TV. She is the co-founder and CEO of NEXT-JEN, which aims to empower the next generation of female players through confidence building, access into pro football world’s inside knowledge and by providing fun and educational online and in-person coaching sessions.

George Davis IV

SIG Soccer Accelerator Featured Coach

Confirmed for 2024

A Lima Ohio native , George Davis IV played eleven seasons as a professional soccer player, most recently joining Louisville City FC in 2016. Before his arrival to Louisville, George also played for Richmond Kickers, Orlando City SC, Orange County SC, and Dayton Dutch Lions for a total of 282 professional matches, sixty-five goals, and twelve assists.

In 2018, George served as an Interim Co-Head Coach for Louisville City FC. During this time, the team continued a successful run toward their second USL Championship.

In his last year of playing, George served as Team Administrator for the team, managing all operations for the players and staff. Upon retiring from playing, George joined the coaching staff for Louisville City FC and is currently Program Director of the LouCity & Racing Foundation.

MIKE DICKEY

SIG Soccer Accelerator Featured Coach

Confirmed for 2024 

In 2024 Michael Dickey was announced as the inaugural head coach of Lexington Sporting Club’s Women’s USL Super League team. Most recently Dickey served as the Director of Coaching of Mockingbird Valley Premier Soccer Club in Louisville, Kentucky. He served as Head Coach for the Jordan Football Association Senior Women’s National Team (2017-2018), is on the US Soccer Coaching Education staff for the A and B license, is on the National Scouting staff for US Soccer, and coaches National/Regional teams in the ODP. He is also the co-founder of the ODP Europe.

MIKE KEENEY

SIG Soccer Accelerator Featured Coach

Confirmed for 2024

Mike Keeney is with MLS Next. He was formerly a first team coach of HIFK Fotboll in Helsinki. A native of California, Keeney has previously coached clubs in Finland and Slovakia, and worked with the Oceania Football Confederation. Prior to coaching professionally, Keeney coached collegiate soccer with the University of Kentucky, University of Alabama at Birmingham, University of Louisville, and Bellarmine College.

TANYA OXTOBY

SIG Soccer Accelerator Featured Coach

Confirmed for 2024

Tanya Oxtoby was appointed as the new manager of the Northern Ireland senior women’s team last year. 

Oxtoby, who is originally from Wickham in Western Australia, signed a four-year contract with the Irish Football Association. Her most recent post was as assistant coach at Chelsea Women, where she won the league and cup double two years in a row.

Prior to that she was manager of FA Women’s Super League side Bristol City Women. She coached England at the youth international level and with Scotland, where she was assistant coach of the senior women’s team in 2021.

She played for multiple teams in Australia and in England for Everton, as a center back. Oxtoby began coaching in 2021 with Nottingham Forest. She’s had real success as a manager: she has won the FA Women’s Super League twice (2021-22 and 2022-2023), the Women’s FA Cup three times (2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23), reached two FA Women’s League Cup finals (2021-22, 2022-23) and reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League (2022-23).

Executive Director

Dale Helfrich

Coach Helfrich leads the event with 30+ years experience as an innovative soccer administrator, coach, and teacher. A former college coach of 13 years at a variety of levels, including five seasons at the NCAA Division I level as an Assistant Men’s Soccer coach at the University of Louisville and Western Kentucky University, while directing the camps and clinics for these schools. Coach Helfrich recently ended nine years as the Boys Soccer Coach at Trinity High School in Louisville, Kentucky, posting a 150-26-15 career record. His teams spent many seasons ranked nationally, including his 2018 team, ranked #3 by the United Soccer Coaches. He has helped send many players to college programs throughout the country and coached Gatorade Players of the Year. He was the General Manager of the Thoroughbreds Soccer Club. Coach Helfrich teaches at Trinity High School and serves as the Co-Chair of the Health and Physical Education Department.  He holds several coaching licenses, including the United States Soccer Federation “A” License, the US National Youth License, the NSCAA Advanced National Diploma, the United Soccer Coaches High School Diploma, and is a Level 1 Youth Fitness Specialist from the International Youth Conditioning Association.

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Copyright 2024 Soccer Accelerator