Andrew Richardson has been a high school coach and administrator in Columbia , South Carolina , for more than 15 years . He has worked as a Technical Director and Staff Coach for United Soccer Coaches Member Club Congaree Rapid FC , and as a General Manager and Assistant Coach for Soda City FC of the UPSL and WPSL . He is a member of the inaugural 30 Under 30 Class , a 2016 United Soccer Coaches State Coach of the Year , and currently serves as the National Chairperson of the Black Coaches Community group .
opportunities , Boys ’ Soccer wasn ’ t only a priority , but a cornerstone of the athletic department . At Heathwood , we had just over 200 total students in grades 9-12 , as well as six sports offerings in the spring . My first program meeting was attended by eight total players . Our first season saw some creative maneuvering of rosters just to make it through the season , with only 27 players from 6th-12th grade , but we did make great progress . We scored a late-match winner in the final six minutes of our season opener against the eventual state champions , knocked off a topfive-ranked public school on the road , and most importantly , built momentum .
Over the next several years , our program ballooned to the high forties in size , became a consistent threat to the rest of the league , including five state semifinal trips , and even knocked off my previous school in 2016 to advance to the state championship . We finished with three players who earned United Soccer Coaches Academic All-America honors , one who earned an All- South Region nod and sent several players on to collegiate programs . But while the 2015-2017 years were likely our performance peak , the final years weren ’ t as successful from a record standpoint and were perhaps even more challenging internally . With the time to finally reflect upon me , I think these lessons can serve any high school coach as they look to start , grow or enhance their program .
Embracing change , both anticipated and surprising , is a key component of both growth and longevity . From the time I joined the school , the community experienced a variety of growth opportunities . When I joined the Heathwood athletic department , I was both the newest and youngest member of their team , and my role only included coaching soccer as a part-time employee . The relationships and friendships I formed with other coaches provided much-needed clarity and advice . Connecting with these coaches helped me learn the value of relationship-building , organization and the delegation of responsibilities . As I leave this year , I am the fourth-longest tenured coach on campus , having worked with a total of eight teams across three sports , in addition to serving as the Associate Athletic Director and Sports Information Director . Many of those who had invested their time into my growth were no longer there , and while I spent many of my earliest days asking for as much advice as I could , I found the last few years I became a trusted resource that people came to for answers .
Our school went through significant changes — enrollment skyrocketed by 30 % during my time on campus and new sports programs were added . Many of the difficulties of my first years with regard to attracting students to our game returned , and my original plans of building relationships with student-athletes through other sports was no longer a feasible plan . Creativity regarding expanding our summer camp offerings , building relationships with local recreational and club programs , and focusing on our social media presence were key in preserving our longevity .
From a competitive standpoint , our league grew exponentially . As an independent school , our classification features four schools in Columbia which make up one of the state ’ s conferences . Since 2013 , at least one team from our conference has participated in the state championship final and claimed nine of the ten state championships . As time wore on , the level of technical and tactical proficiency dramatically increased , and the coaches I competed against each night were tougher and tougher to break down . We invested in a variety of development-based strategies to grow , from
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