F. C. Santa Rosa Director of Coaching Louie Sahin is already thinking about the ways his recent accomplishment of obtaining his UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) “A” License from the prestigious Turkish FA will assist his mission with the game in our area.

“The UEFA A is the highest coaching license you can secure besides the coveted UEFA PRO License, which delves more into the managerial aspect of running a professional club” commented Coach Louie in a recent interview. “The UEFA A is only attainable in the European Union, it is not even offered here in the US.  It gives me a huge benefit here at Futbol Club Santa Rosa to insure that our programs consistently stay on the cutting edge.”

Futbol Club Santa Rosa gains a huge advantage with training sessions and the psychological aspects of the beautiful game “The certification allows me to coach at all levels, from recreational right through a Premier League club, so it is a huge, huge span,” says Sahin. “When we start talking about our long term development plan this new license really allows me to go deeper into the development of the game.

Sahin was always thinking about his stateside job while in Turkey to take his certification tests. “I spent a lot of time with coaches from Premier League clubs who are involved with the youth development side of their clubs. We exchanged ideas: they were very interested in what we are doing here. With the US National team and MLS there is more interest in what the Americans are doing. Clubs were interested in finding out what we are doing in terms of our programs and I listened to their introductory levels and systems.”

It was not just a Turkish group to discuss hot topics with, but an international one. “There were not just premier level coaches from Turkey and England, but from countries all over the world.  It really gave me a real good sense of what is next in the game from a global perspective.”

Coach Louie knows his accomplishment of earning a coaching license at such a high level might have some people wondering about his future in a small local youth soccer club. “The reason I worked so hard and put forth so much time and effort into this license was not for my benefit, but for the kids who play at our club. They are the ones who will ultimately benefit from this. I have been working with the youth of this area for the last 15 years or so and plan on it for another 15 to 20 years. This is where my heart is”

Coach Louie is now armed with the highest coaching credential available. He knows its best use for the present. “My goal is to make Futbol Club Santa Rosa the number one youth soccer development program in the area.”