FORT WORTH, Texas (Feb. 26, 2010) – Tonight, US Youth Soccer honored Virgil Stringfield II, of Orlando, Fla., as the recipient for the Dr. Thomas Fleck Award for Excellence in Youth Coaching Education at the US Youth Soccer Awards Gala held in conjunction with the 2010 US Youth Soccer adidas Workshop in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Excellence in Youth Coaching Education award is also known as the Dr. Thomas Fleck award. It is designed to honor a lifetime of dedication where one has led with integrity, honor, humor and humility and has made extensive and far reaching contributions to the process by which youth soccer coaches are educated in America.

Hilary Kennedy, host of The US Youth Soccer Show on Fox Soccer Channel, set the stage for the night as the master of ceremonies for the more than 1,000 in attendance. Boys and Girls Recreation and Competitive Coaches of the Year, Administrator of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Goal and Save of the Year and the Male and Female Young Referees of the Year, TOPSoccer Buddy of the Year were also presented during the Gala and the US Youth Soccer Hall of Fame inductees were honored as well.

 

Stringfield is a co-author of The Official US Youth Soccer Coaching Manual. Three of his co-authors are fellow award winners: Thomas Fleck, Ph.D., Ronald Quinn, Ph.D., and David Carr, Ph.D.

Stringfield holds his USSF "A" License and National Youth License for coaching. He also received a national diploma from the NSCAA. He has over 30 years of experience coaching club teams and over 20 years of experience coaching and administering soccer camps.

Within US Youth Soccer, Stringfield has been a national instructor since 2003. From 1995-1997, he was a committee member for US Youth Soccer Region IV. In 1992, he coached US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program Girls Region III.

At the State Association level, he was on Florida Youth Soccer Association's coaching staff since 1983 with the exception of when he was director of coaching for Arkansas State Soccer Association from 1998-1999 and for Arizona Youth Soccer Association from 1995-1997. From 1993-1994, Stringfield was a state staff coach for Louisiana Soccer Association. Currently, he is the director of coaching education for Florida Youth Soccer.

Stringfield has been part of the USSF national coaching staff instructing National Youth License and USSF "C" License courses since 1996. He helped design the curriculum for the National Youth License.

He holds a master of education, physical education, from William Carey College. Stringfield was an adjunct instructor at William Carey College from 1988-1989 then at Seminole Community College from 1990-1993. Stringfield also taught math in secondary schools for 11 years.

He was William Carey's assistant men's coach from 1987-1989 and the women's head coach from 1988-1989. He was Florida Southern College's assistant men's coach from 1985-1987.

Future recipients of the "The Dr. Thomas Fleck Award" will be awarded based on merit as determined by the US Youth Soccer state technical directors and US Youth Soccer coaching department when deemed appropriate, but not necessarily on an annual basis.

Past winners:
2009 David Carr – Barboursville, W.Va.
2008 James "Jay" Hoffman – Virginia Beach, Va.
2007 Dr. Ron Quinn – Cincinnati, Ohio
2006 Dean Conway  - Jamaica Plain, Mass.
2005 Dr. Thomas Fleck - Philadelphia, Penn., Inaugural Recipient

For more information about the Dr. Thomas Fleck Award and the US Youth Soccer adidas Workshop and Awards Gala, go to USYouthSoccer.org/workshop/galaawards.

About the United States Youth Soccer Association (US Youth Soccer) – US Youth Soccer - "The Game for ALL Kids!^®" is the largest youth sports organization in the country and largest member of the United States Soccer Federation, the governing body of soccer in the United States. US Youth Soccer registers more than 3 million players annually, ages 5 to 19, and over 900,000 administrators, coaches and volunteers in 55 member State Associations. US Youth Soccer programs provide a fun, safe and healthy environment for players at every level of the game. For more information, visitwww.USYouthSoccer.org.

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