Alabama Soccer Association (ASA) technical director Kevin Laux said his master’s degree from the United States Sports Academy showed him the science behind coaching and ultimately led to his career in coaching education.
Laux holds a Master of Sports Science degree in sports coaching from the Academy. Like many Academy students and graduates, Laux pursued his degree while working full time in the profession as an assistant women’s soccer coach at the University of Mobile (Ala.).
“The Academy helped me understand that coaching is a science and an art,” Laux said. “Studying at the Academy showed me that there has been incredible research done in the field of coaching and that successful coaches don’t just go out there make it up as they go along. There is a science and a psychology behind coaching.
“The courses I took at the Academy were immediately applicable to what I was doing as an assistant coach at the University of Mobile at the time. My facilities management course helped me perform my duties in field maintenance, and the marketing course helped me in recruiting – being able to sell our program to potential student athletes.
“Today, in my work for the Alabama Soccer Association, I am in a better position to communicate coaching philosophy and ethics to up and coming coaches because of my Academy education.”
A native of New Orleans, La., Laux played soccer from a young age and in college at the University of Mobile. He coached at the high school and club levels in the Mobile area before becoming a graduate assistant coach at Spring Hill College, also in the Mobile area. After five years coaching at Mobile, Laux moved to Birmingham, Ala., to work in numerous roles for the Birmingham United Soccer Association.
Now, as technical director at ASA, Laux oversees coaching education, the Olympic Development Program, and the Alabama Elite Program.
“I have always had a passion for soccer, and I’m blessed to be able to have a career doing something I love,” Laux said. “The best thing about my job is that I play a role in helping to improve the sport of soccer and soccer coaches in the state. As soccer grows in the state of Alabama, our association teaches coaches how to meet the needs of young players coming up through the state’s youth, recreational, and club programs.”
