B.J. Snow Named as Head Coach of U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team
B.J. Snow is named head coach of U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team along with April Kater named as Head Development Coach. Snow and Kater accept full-time positions at U.S. Soccer along with Technical Director April Heinrichs and Women’s Youth Development Director Jill Ellis who were brought on one year ago.
Youth Soccer News: U.S. Soccer has announced the hiring of B.J. Snow as head coach of the U.S. Under-17 Women’s National Team and April Kater as Head Development Coach.
Both positions are full-time as U.S. Soccer continues to invest in the continued growth and development of its Youth Women’s National Team program. Snow and Kater join U.S. Soccer Women’s Technical Director April Heinrichs and Women’s Youth Development Director Jill Ellis, who were the first full-time positions hired by U.S. Soccer a year ago.
“These hires mark another great opportunity to continue to build a full-time team of coaches around our youth national teams program,” said Heinrichs. “It’s vital we provide continuity and support among our coaches throughout the age groups so that we can manage all of the aspects of national team player development. We want to make sure we are maximizing the talent that is coming through our programs.”
Snow will take over all aspects of the U.S. Under-17 Women’s National Team program and will also work with U.S. Under-15 and Under-14 Girls’ National Teams, which feed into the U-17 age group. Snow will be charged with preparing the USA for qualifying for the 2014 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup to be held in Costa Rica in the first part of next year.
The hiring of Snow marks the first time U.S. Soccer has made the head coach of the U-17s full-time, and U.S. Soccer is also continuing the process to hire a full-time head coach for the U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team, which will also be a first. Snow, 35, will coach his first training camp with the U-17s beginning Jan. 26 at The Home Depot Center. Snow’s squad will take on the Germany U-17 Women’s National Team at The HDC on Jan. 29 and Feb. 1.
“I am extremely honored to have the opportunity to work with U.S. Soccer,” said Snow. “I truly feel there is no greater distinction in our sport than to represent your country. The standards and expectations for women’s soccer in the United States are extremely high. I am really looking forward to embracing the rich tradition of excellence while continuing to develop the next generation of talent that will enable us to compete at the highest level for years to come.”
As Head Development Coach, Kater will work closely with Ellis and will be responsible for developing and maintaining a national database, tracking elite youth players to serve all of U.S. Soccer’s girls’ Youth National Teams. She will also coach and assist in U.S. Soccer’s National Training Center initiatives, serve as the head coach for the U.S. U-14 Girls’ National Team program and also work with the U.S. U-15 Women’s National Team. Kater will also be heavily involved in educating and developing coaches across the nation to work with younger age groups.
“It’s a dream come true to be able to work alongside such a talented staff of national team coaches and to be able to make this kind of positive impact on our youth players,” said Kater. “It’s a vitally important responsibility and challenge to work with the U-14 age group in their first experience with the national teams. I’m also very much looking forward to helping spearhead the movement to help coaches across the country develop more technical players at the younger ages.”
Source/Photo Credit: U.S. Soccer
