16 · player · referee-trained · coach
Meet Coach Jackson
From back-yard games with friends to the FC Dayton travel team — and now passing it on.
The story so far
It Started in the Back Yard
Long before the jerseys and the tournaments, Jackson was the kid in the yard with a ball at his feet, playing with friends until somebody got called in for dinner. Teaching himself moves out there gave him something you can't drill into a player later: a real love for having the ball.
Six years of year-round team soccer turned that into quick, clever feet, the endurance to run all game and a knack for finding space on the field. With his recreation team he went to the Southwestern State Tournament twice.
Then, after one of those rec games, a referee walked over and told him he was really good — and that he should try out for FC Dayton. So he did. He made FC Dayton's traveling team, and that team went on to win first place in its final tournament.
Year-round
No Off-Season
- First grade — rec leaguesWhere the love of the game started, plus endless back-yard games with friends.
- Rec soccer — 6 years and countingYear-round team soccer, including two trips to the Southwestern State Tournament.
- FC Dayton travel teamMade the team after a referee's tip — first place at the final tournament.
- FC Dayton futsal — 2 seasonsIndoor, small-sided soccer that sharpens touch and quick decisions, on top of year-round teams.
- Referee trainingCompleted, so he knows the laws of the game the way officials do.
- Kingdom — winter leaguePlaying now, keeping the skills sharp all winter.
Why he coaches
Passing It On
Jackson completed referee training because knowing the rules inside out makes you a smarter player — and a better teacher. Offside, throw-ins, fouls, restarts: the stuff that confuses young players on game day is the stuff he can explain in a minute.
Alongside his own teams, he runs basic and intermediate skills sessions for current and new players, teaching the rules and the moves that make the game click. Lessons are upbeat, organized and full of touches — and every one ends with a goal.
“My goal is to be a positive role model and mentor, helping young athletes develop their skills and the same lifelong appreciation for soccer that began for me in first grade.”
Jackson
Train With Jackson
One-on-one, $35 an hour.