Fútbol has given Salem City’s head coach, Will Lennie, an opportunity to travel across the globe. His soccer journey started at a very young age where he played for a club here in North Carolina before moving to Southeast Asia for almost a decade. After graduating from university, Lennie discovered his love for coaching and worked his way up from an academy coach to a regional manager, building the experience that would lead him to Winston-Salem.

After competing for numerous years, his experience on the pitch is what ultimately set the foundation for his coaching career. Lennie took his first coaching gig at just 16 years old and over his 12 years of coaching, outside of Salem he has spent time at Loughborough College, Murrieta Soccer Academy, Coventry Sphinx Football Club, and NC Fusion ECNL. This will be his second summer with Salem, adding another chapter to an already impressive coaching resume. 

While Lennie’s career took him around the world, his love for the game also built a strong and long-lasting bond with the rest of his family. His grandpa spent time in the Premier League as a player for Aston Villa and his father spent a lot of his time coaching many of the clubs Will played on.

“My grandad played for Aston Villa for quite a long time and that’s where the love of the game was really born. I remember growing up with my dad watching games on the TV as young as three or four and then playing with my dad being my coach at the youngest age groups. So obviously my whole family has played a huge part in that, especially my grandad and my dad and I hope to be able to pass that down to my children,” Lennie said.

While moving around can often be a challenge for people, Lennie found the one thing that was the same no matter where he went: Fútbol.

“Fútbol has been a constant in my life. The reason I love Fútbol so much is because no matter where I’ve been and no matter where I’ve gone it’s allowed me to meet new people and express myself. You don’t need to speak the same language or be from the same culture to enjoy the beautiful game we all love. That’s what keeps me gravitated and keeps me grounded knowing that I’ve met so many amazing people and got to experience so many amazing cultures,” Lennie said.

Fun Facts:

• Fav club: Manchester United
• Fav player: Wayne Rooney
• Coolest Playing/Coaching Memory: First training session at Aston Villa / Training with the U23’s for the first time
• Pre-Match artist of choice: Dave