Allen Community College women’s soccer head coach Jeremy McGinnis is the most successful coach in the program’s history.
McGinnis was voted the KJCCC Women’s soccer coach of the year this season, an award voted on by other coaches in the conference.
In his eighth year at the helm of Allen’s program, he set an Allen record for most wins in a single season with 15.
During games, McGinnis is passionate. You can often hear him cheering on his team.
“It’s one of those things that can go either way,” said McGinnis of his coaching style. “It can be a good thing if your kids buy into it and see that you care and that you are part of it. Sometimes it’s tough for players to enjoy that, sometimes they think ‘oh he is going crazy.’”
McGinnis has no plans to change his style.
“I’ve always been told you can’t be anyone but you, because everyone else is taken. That’s the way I am in life in general. I get caught in the moment of playing soccer and being out there and seeing them put pieces together and the players seeing that it all works. I’m not for everybody. I’ve come to a place in my life where I am very comfortable with that.”
Coming to that point of acceptance and that mentality is something that often comes with age, and with experience. Couple those two with the success he has had at Allen, and McGinnis realizes his unique style is just what the program needs.
“It was one of those things, when you know it works and have seen it work, you realize you can be yourself,” McGinnis said. “I found that I care about my inner circle and how they feel about me. With my players, I don’t need them to like me, but I need them to respect me and what we are doing.”
Allen boasts a diverse roster, with 11 international players from three different countries. The international players have helped give new life to his approach to the team.
“The international players have really been a breath of fresh air,” McGinnis said. “Their soccer IQ is so high. I was able to do a lot more as far as coaching education goes. I’m able to do match analysis. I feel like there have been years in the past where I did match analysis and I didn’t know if it sunk in with anyone, they weren’t giving me good feedback. The fact that these players enjoyed it brought the other girls around.”
International players, while they have been good for Allen athletics as a whole, present a unique set of challenges. There are visa issues, travel issues, and with the pandemic, you never know what is around the corner. Managing that boils down to one thing.
“I can only control what I can control. Things happen out of my control but I can’t worry about those things,” McGinnis said.
In his time around the game, he has learned a key lesson about his players.
“A lot of times, they don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care,” McGinnis said.
