Athletics appoints new head coach to women’s soccer team.
Amie Lin has been named head coach of the Women’s Soccer team at George Brown College (GBC).
Her appointment, following the retirement of former coach Dave Kelly, makes her the first female to hold the job in more than 10 years.
Speaking about her new role, Lin reflected on her years as an assistant coach and her journey so far in this new opportunity with the Huskies at GBC.
“Excited, grateful, of course, I think I’ve been fortunate to assist under three amazing coaches… All three of them had different styles of coaching, so I was able to take a little bit of Johnny, Tiger, and Dave and kind of get my style of coaching that works best for me. I think I’m just grateful to having them mentor me. And yeah, I feel confident and excited to be able to lead the women’s team, finally for the first year,” said Lin.
The resignation of Kelly came as a surprise to Lin, who assumed she had at least another year. Taking on the role of head coach came quite quickly, with Lin having to make the decision under some pressure.
“I didn’t expect Dave Kelly to resign this year. I thought, you know, I had another year with him. So, hearing that and really thinking about if I was I ready for all of this. Because I have the role at GS youth program, and that takes a lot, and you just have to be prepared to step into such a big role. You know, assistant is one thing, then leading a team and knowing that all decisions and everything is yours to make, and you want to make sure that you know, you commit yourself and you’re ready for these young athletes that really, you know, look up to you,” she said. “So I first contemplated about it, and I had a lot of good people telling me that I was ready, and that this is your time, I think I knew I was ready, but sometimes it’s just making sure that you’re committed and you give back to them what they deserve.”
While she’s still settling into the new job, the academic year is fast approaching. This means she’s quickly preparing to build her team and prepare for the season. She stressed the importance of the team getting along off the pitch in order to boost team spirit on the field.
“Women’s soccer is a lot different from men’s soccer. Women feel comfortable and play well when they know that they have a group that everyone gets along. So being a player myself, I know that I’ve always tried to just talk to everybody and make everybody feel comfortable, especially the new recruits or the new players coming in. So, at first, especially with the girls that have been there, I really want them to make the new players feel comfortable, whether we do team bonding, whether we do little bonding not just outside of soccer but during practice,” Lin explained.
Speaking on coaching styles, Coach Lin brings a combination of styles from personal experience and guidance from mentors. She believes her new approach will immensely contribute to building the foundation that will help the team achieve their goals this season and in the long run.
This will help especially this year as she views this year as a rebuilding one.
As tryout dates roll out, Lin points out qualities she looks for in new recruits and how she plans to integrate them into the team.
“I’m a big believer of hard work. As much as I can teach them the game and help them with the technical part, hard work is within you, and it’s something that you either have or you don’t have.”
The women’s soccer team are currently preparing for their first match of the season against Seneca College, scheduled for Sept. 6.
For more information about tryouts and games, visit the Huskies website at athletics.georgebrown.ca.
