Adham Abdallah named the 2022-2023 Coach of the Year

Congratulations Coach Abdallah

On behalf of AYSO United Arizona, we would like to officially announce Dr. Adham Abdallah as our 2022-2023 Coach of the Year.

Coach Adham has been with AYSO United since we officially launched five years ago. Coach Adham works and lives in the Flagstaff area, where the competition for players in a small community can be tough. Coach Adham started his coaching career in his local AYSO region and joined AYSO United during our inaugural season with three teams. Unfortunately, right about the time the pandemic hit, he saw his numbers decline and struggled to have enough players to form a 2011 girls team.

When he could not find enough players to support his two older boys. Coach Adham signed them up to play for AYSO United teams, in the East Valley. He regularly made the 90-minute commute so his boys could train at least once a week, and then down almost every weekend for matches.

In Flagstaff, having a safe place to train is very difficult since there is a lot of snow on the ground in the winter months. There have been weekends when the team was snowed in and not able to make the trip down. Coach Adham would find places to train whenever he could to keep his girls ready to play.

Coach Adham is a chiropractor by profession, who spends a majority of his free time dedicated to coaching his players. His hard work and commitment has provided some fantastic results. From the beginning of the season to date, Coach Adham’s 2011 girls have 17 wins and only 1 loss in league and tournament play. They have scored 67 goals and only conceded 8.

These are outstanding numbers and truly an example of Coach Adham’s skill as a coach. However, we believe there is more to being a great coach than just winning games.

Here is a quote from a parent on Coach Adham’s team: “Stats are important and say a lot about a coach. Winning is nice. Championships feel great. But building a relationship with your players and finding meaningful ways to truly impact their life long after the season ends is what makes Adham Coach of the Year in my eyes. Coach of a Lifetime, really.”

In addition to dedicating his time, Coach Adham and his family, have donated a lot of their personal resources. He donates his services as a chiropractor to all his players, and many former players, who need treatment. He is known to pile players up in his vehicles to travel down the mountain for matches when parents could not afford to make the trip. Coach Adham and his wife Rachel, would often buy them lunch, a treat, or sometimes help cover the costs of a hotel so families could participate.

One year, Coach Adham found out that one of his families could not afford Christmas gifts. He contacted the parents and gave them money to buy gifts on the condition they did not know it came from him. For Coach Adham, being a coach is far more than just teaching kids about the game. It is providing them with an example of humility and grace that will have a far greater impact on them as they complete their soccer playing careers.

Coach Adham epitomizes everything we believe in at AYSO United Arizona and we are happy to select him as our Coach of the Year.