The Chicago Purple Stars have named Lorne Donaldson as the brand new head coach after an in depth three-month search.
Donaldson brings a wealth of teaching expertise, having beforehand led Jamaica’s girls’s nationwide crew throughout their historic run within the 2023 FIFA Girls’s World Cup.
Below Donaldson’s management, Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz achieved a milestone by advancing to the spherical of 16 within the World Cup, turning into the primary Caribbean nation to attain this feat. His success on the worldwide stage has now earned him the position of head coach for the Chicago Purple Stars within the Nationwide Girls’s Soccer League (NWSL).
A former participant in Kingston
Donaldson, a former participant in Kingston, Jamaica, had represented the Jamaican nationwide crew earlier than pursuing his teaching profession. He has been inducted into each the College Corridor of Fame and the Colorado Youth Soccer Corridor of Fame for his contributions to the game.
All through his teaching profession, Donaldson has labored with numerous youth groups, from membership stage to the worldwide stage. He served as Jamaica’s U17 head coach, a U20 and full nationwide crew assistant, earlier than being appointed because the full-time head coach of the Reggae Girlz.
Karen Leetzow, the newly appointed membership president of the Chicago Purple Stars, expressed her confidence in Donaldson, stating, “Lorne is the precise individual to guide us subsequent season. His in depth teaching expertise, each on the youth and worldwide ranges, will likely be invaluable for our gamers and workers as we try for excellence.”
Dedication to the expansion of soccer
Donaldson’s dedication to the expansion of soccer in the US is obvious in his co-founding of the Black Soccer Coaches Affiliation of America. This initiative goals to advertise a greater understanding of American soccer tradition amongst African and Caribbean gamers and coaches.
Talking about his new position, Donaldson stated, “I’m excited to work with this proficient crew, together with a few of the NWSL’s greatest gamers, to show the Chicago Purple Stars right into a championship membership each on and off the pitch. I look ahead to partnering with Laura Ricketts and Karen Leetzow, who’re dedicated to making a tradition of excellence and accountability.”
Donaldson’s affect on the youth membership stage is mirrored within the success of elite gamers who’ve educated beneath his steering at Actual Colorado. Notable gamers akin to Janine Beckie, Jaelin Howell, Sophia Smith, and Mallory Swanson have performed their youth soccer with Actual Colorado and have gone on to make important impacts in worldwide and NWSL competitions.
The appointment of Lorne Donaldson as head coach marks an thrilling new chapter for the Chicago Purple Stars as they put together for the 2024 NWSL Draft and the upcoming NWSL season.
