Anthony Greene is in his fourth year as the Colonie High boys soccer coach. He is also the technical director and the Under 10 and Under 16 boys soccer coach at the Colonie Soccer Club. He was a standout soccer player at Colonie High, (2007 grad), and SUNY Oswego, (2011 grad), where he was a captain and also named assistant soccer coach in 2012. By day, he is an technology education teacher at the Sand Creek and Lisha Kill middle schools. He lives in Rotterdam.
Q: Soccer has been one of the most popular sports around the world for decades but is gaining traction in the U.S. only over the past few years. Why do you think it took so long for the U.S. to embrace the sport and why do you think it is so popular now?
A: I think there are several areas that are helping soccer gain traction in the U.S. Some of the more noticeable would be games overseas in popular leagues such as the English Premier League, Bundesliga, and La Liga are now being televised. This has allowed more people to see what a fun, intense, and physical game this really is. I also believe with having more American players having success on big teams overseas along with the continued success of the women’s national team, the popularity of the sport just continued to grow.
Q: Soccer is a physically demanding sport with a lot of contact, no time outs and probably more non-stop running than any other sport. How do you condition athletes for such a grueling contest?
A: With playing a sport that is as demanding as soccer, we work to provide our players with as many resources and opportunities as we can to not only prepare them for an upcoming game, but prepare them for a long and demanding season. We provide our players with a workout program that focuses on short and long distance conditioning, speed/agility, technical training and also strength training. Challenging them to train harder throughout these areas help push our players to be mentally and physically tougher.
Q: What do you try to instill in your players outside of soccer skills?
A: One thing that playing sports teaches and instills in you without knowing it sometimes are positive core values and standards. These values that become ingrained in you eventually help you be successful off the field in the real world. We try to instill values such as integrity, discipline, perseverance, and accountability.
Q: How does it feel coaching the team you used to play for and has the sport changed since you used to play?
A: I am extremely proud and excited to be able to coach for the school and team I used to play for. I enjoy giving back to the program that gave me so many great memories and experiences as a player. There is no greater soccer environment or atmosphere in this area to play in. I love not only watching current and future players gain the same great experiences I had as a player but also helping them get there and accomplish their goals.
Q: What is Technology Education and how did you get interested in teaching those skills to students?
A: Technology Education teaches students how to understand, use, and evaluate different types of technologies in general to help satisfy human needs and wants. At the middle school level, we try to introduce students to as many different areas of technology as we can. By doing so we look to spark students’ interests in any given area so they look to take technology in the high school and further study the area that interests them most.
If you would like to see someone featured in Five Questions contact Jim Franco at 518-878-1000 or [email protected]
