HARRISON TWP. — Bill Shute, a 41-year-old resident of Harrison Township, and the head coach of the U11 girls’ Renegades of the RAGE FC Premier Soccer Club based out of Williamstown, was named the 2013 New Jersey Youth Soccer Bob McNulty Coach of the Year.
Shute was recognized at the NJYS 26th Annual Awards Dinner in January at The Pines Manor in Edison, N.J.
Not only does Shute coach his oldest daughter Mia’s U11 Renegades team, which in 2013 won the Jefferson Cup Tournament in Virginia and the NJ Youth Soccer 8 v. 8 State Cup, he also coaches his youngest daughter Lillian’s U6 recreation level team in the Harrison Soccer Club based in Harrison Township.
In the past he was also a head coach for the U8 Bulldogs boys’ travel team from Harrison Soccer Club. His son Mason is a member of that team which is now playing in the U9 level.
Bill is also a board member of HSC where he helped to create a summer 3 v 3 league last year so that the children of Gloucester County would have a summer small-sided-soccer activity. This league met with a whopping success with over 50 plus teams in its first year – an incredible achievement.
As a coach and leader, Shute has recognized that you can never stop learning and his main focus of coaching is on the development of the players. He has demonstrated this during the 2013 season by completing his National D License and taking the National Youth License and aspiring to take his C license.
He thirsts for soccer knowledge and constantly researches information to help better his team and players. To help facilitate sharing knowledge, Bill organizes soccer courses for other coaches to attend.
Within the last year, on behalf of RAGE FC Premier and the Harrison Soccer Club, Bill has organized two F license courses, an E license, a National D license and a National Youth License course for U.S. Youth Soccer.
Shute reached out to the developers of iSoccer, an online soccer skills website and created the 100 Days of Summer Challenge last year for his U11 girls. This challenge required the players to do various soccer activities every day for the period over the summer that started before Memorial Day and ran until Labor Day. He provided the players with instructions, charts, and web-based video links to assist them. The result was an era of increased improvement for all players on the team.
Most importantly, his love of his players is what shines through the most and was a large part of what led parents and board members of the RAGE FC Premier Soccer Club to nominate him for the McNulty Award. He exemplifies and demands a family atmosphere for his team.
Besides writing personal cards to his players for important events such as birthdays and Christmas, Bill attempts to make personal visits to his players outside of soccer. It’s important to him that they know he cares about them as people and not just as soccer players.
According to NJYS, the recipient of the Bob McNulty Award represents the ideals and values of coaching as outlined by US Soccer. The award is named in honor of Bob McNulty, a former national staff coach, who instructed the national coaching school “C” courses for many years. Recipients will best represent coaching and exemplify the importance of the role it plays in the development of young people.
McNulty was appointed in 1974 to the national coaching staff as one of the “charter appointees” by USSF Director of Coaching, Walt Chyzowich. He served as the lead instructor for the National “C” License Course. Bob eventually served as a mentor to almost every instructor added to the National Coaching Staff.
McNulty was appointed in 1974 to the national coaching staff as one of the “charter appointees” by USSF Director of Coaching, Walt Chyzowich. He served as the lead instructor for the National “C” License Course. Bob eventually served as a mentor to almost every instructor added to the National Coaching Staff.
According to the New Jersey Youth Soccer Handbook, there are approximately 170,000 registered Soccer players and 30,000 registered coaches in 400 soccer clubs across the state of New Jersey. Although New Jersey is the 3rd smallest state in physical size, it is the 3rd largest state in the number of registered players participating in youth soccer.
