We know that whether a coach, parent or mentor to a youth athlete, your involvement in a players’ development makes a tremendous impact. That’s why earlier this fall, Dove Men+Care partnered with PCA to celebrate care as a man's real strength with the Caring Coach of the Year Award – an award given to youth and high school sports coaches across the U.S. who embody the drive to win and teach life lessons through sports by showing care. Now that the nominations are in, we’re excited to announce our two winners of the 2017 Caring Coach of the Year Award!

Congratulations Steve Herdsman and Tony Hall, and thank you both for all that you do and being there to care both on and off the field!

KEY HIGHLIGHTS:

• Steve is a former MLS player, where he played five seasons as a defender with the Colorado Rapids and Columbus Crew.
• He is currently the Head Coach of the men's team at Cornerstone University, where he played his collegiate career and was named WHAC Player of the Year in 2000
• Mentioned that his high school coach played a pivotal role in his life and gave him the confidence needed to succeed
• While playing for Columbus, his coach Sigi Schmid, the current coach for the LA Galaxy, taught him the importance of giving back to the game and that soccer has the ability to take you anywhere you want to go – “it is merely a vehicle, you just have to drive it”
• Steve actively goes around the community to find sponsors for club soccer leagues or players who can’t financially support themselves

KEY HIGHLIGHTS:

• Tony has been coaching for 30 years
• He played in middle and high school as well as Division 3 at Hobart College in Upstate New York
• While in graduate school, Tony was recruited to be an assistant coach at Loyola; it was here that he really fell in love with the idea of coaching and being there for kids who come from troubled backgrounds like he did
• Tony prides himself on “making sure each player is prepared with life skills at the end of the day when kids go home and take off their cleats.”
• Believes in youth creating their own culture and often asks his players what it means to be a purpose-driven athlete
• His players come up with their own character traits they want to learn and embody throughout the season

The Caring Coach of the Year Award is part of our larger Double-Goal Coach® Award. The deadline for that award is Dec. 15, 2017

PCA's Double-Goal Coach Award is given to youth and high school sports coaches from throughout the U.S. who embody the ideals of the Double-Goal Coach, striving to win, while also pursuing the more important goal of teaching life lessons through sports.