Haroot Hakopian - Create a climate and define a team culture

Dr Haroot Hakopian got into coaching by accident when he suffered a significant knee injury - tearing his ACL, MCL and PCL - and requiring four different operations.

A move into coaching followed, alongside entering education. Thirty years later, he is still involved in, and loving, both worlds.

Dr Hakopian celebrated 20 years as an AP English teacher and girls’ soccer coach at Winston Churchill High School in Maryland last year. He also holds numerous other roles, including sitting on the United Soccer Coaches’ board of directors.

SCW caught up with him to talk about culture, climate, and the importance of telling your players when you’ve messed up…

Hey coaches — quick heads-up. If your team’s moving up a format this season — maybe to 7v7, 9v9, or even 11v11 — it’s not just ‘more players. and bigger pitches’ The game changes. That’s why we’re running the Prepare Your Players for the Move series. On August 20 we’ve got the 7v7 Transition Masterclass, and on August 27 we’ll cover 9v9 and 11v11. You’ll get the formations, tactics and strategies you need to give your team the edge helping you win more games and develop better players. Just h