Andy Richards Is Named Women's Soccer Coach
April 10, 2000 | Women's Soccer
April 10, 2000
BOWLING GREEN, O. - Bowling Green State University has hired Andy Richards as its new coach for women's soccer, BGSU Director of Athletics Paul Krebs has announced. Richards, 34, comes to BG after five seasons as assistant women's soccer coach at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Ore.
A native of Warwick, England, Richards brings to the Falcons a wealth of experience in not only intercollegiate soccer, but also in club, high school, and youth soccer. For the past two years, Richards has served as a member of the coaching staff for the Region IV Olympic Development Program. He was also the state coach for the 17-year-old age group of the Oregon Olympic Development Program. Richards has been heavily involved with the Corvallis United Soccer Club for the past four years as well.
Oregon State, a member of the Pacific-10 Conference (PAC-10), finished the 1999 season with an overall record of 8-11-1.
Prior to his appointment at Oregon State, Richards spent five years as the Regional Director for Goal Line Soccer Clinics in Oregon. Richards taught and coached at the high school level in England before moving to the United States.
"We are very excited to have Andy Richards as our new women's soccer coach," said Krebs. "He brings a high level of enthusiasm and a breadth of coaching experience to our program. He was the ideal candidate for this position."
Richards will arrive in Bowling Green this Friday (April 14) and will travel with the team on Saturday for their last competition of the spring season, a tournament at Kent. While this weekend marks the final contests of the spring for the Falcons, the spring practice season does not come to a close until Thursday, April 27. The time spent with his new team, according to Richards, will be invaluable.
"This will give me a chance to evaluate the team to see where we are and what we need to do to be successful," said Richards.
An avid community member in Corvallis, Richards looks forward to being a part of the University and community of Bowling Green. He and his wife, Carolyn, found BG to be a very attractive place to live, and -- coupled with the vision and direction of the university and the athletic department -- it was an opportunity that he could not pass up. BGSU women's soccer has the ability to compete at the highest level, according to Richards, and with the support of the community and the administration, that is exactly where he wants to take it.
"We are going to play an exciting brand of soccer that the fans will enjoy," said Richards. "My goal is to be successful, first in the Mid-American Conference, and then in the nation."
Richards earned his Bachelor of Education from Sheffield City Polytechnic in Sheffield, England, in 1989. He received his Master of Education from Oregon State in 1997.