The Kalamazoo Outrage Announce Their 2009 Head Coaches
Tue, Dec 9th, 2008
TKO Premier Soccer Club, owner of the Kalamazoo Outrage, has named the head coaches for the 2009 United Soccer Leagues PDL and W-League season. Heading the men’s PDL team will be former Niagara Purple Eagle standout Mark Spooner, “I am extremely excited to be taking over the Coaching reigns at Kalamazoo and very grateful for the opportunity that I have been given. Although we are a young franchise my expectations are high and I fully expect to continue the great job that Stu Riddle and his staff did last year. I cannot wait to arrive in western Michigan and get my teeth into what I predict will be an extremely exciting adventure.” Spooner will try and improve upon the fantastic inaugural season of the Outrage as they made it to the final 8 in the playoffs defeating the Michigan Bucks and Chicago Fire before losing to eventual League champion Thunder Bay Chill.
Leading the Women’s side will be current Outrage assistant coach Todd Wells. "I am honored to have the opportunity to work with the 2009 Kalamazoo Outrage Women. The 2008 inaugural season proved to be a major stepping stone in the development of a high-quality W League team here in Kalamazoo. The work will start immediately - we are looking to bring in top quality players and improve on our results from last season. For the Kalamazoo soccer community, I hope the Outrage matches will be a place where the people can see high level soccer, and potentially enjoy watching many local players showcase their talent." The managing executive committee of the Outrage is looking forward to an exciting season on the field and looks to the Kalamazoo Soccer Community to come out and support the teams once again.
Wells is no stranger to the West Michigan Soccer scene where he has been involved in almost every level of competitive soccer. A native of neighboring Battle Creek, he began his coaching career as a youth staff coach for the Battle Creek Community Soccer Club, where he also served as President. Wells also operated a local soccer camp called Cereal City Soccer Camps for Battle Creek youth. He served as the head men’s coach at Battle Creek Lakeview High School for 5 years, and is currently in his 5th season as the head women’s coach for the Lady Spartans where he has earned 3 City Coach of the Year honors and 4 East Division Conference Titles.
Since 2005, Wells has served as the head coach for the TKO ‘92 Girls Team. Under his tutelage these girls have made two 2 State Cup Semifinal appearances in a row, a top 20 regional ranking, as well as 2 straight League Championships - one in the 1st Division of the Michigan State Premier League and one in the Midwest Regional League. He has also served as a co-coach and head coach for the 2007 and 2008 TKO ‘92 Girls Super Y League team. This team is the 2 time defending Midwest Division Champions and they recently returned from their second trip to the USL Super Y League North American Finals.
This fall, Wells took on the role as the Assistant Women’s Soccer Coach at Kalamazoo College, where he assists with recruiting and daily team operations. He holds a USSF National C license and a NSCAA Regional Goalkeeping Diploma. He also serves on the Michigan State Youth Soccer Association Coaching Education Staff. Wells graduated from Western Michigan University with a BS in Elementary Education and an MA in Educational Leadership. He is currently in his 10th year as a teacher in the Lakeview School District, Battle Creek.
Spooner comes to the Outrage after spending the 2008 college season as an assistant at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia. Mark helped the Lancers, in only their second year of division 1 eligibility, to an 8-8-4 record and the Atlantic Soccer Conference tournament championship. He also mentored freshman goalkeeper Joel Helmick to the ASC rookie of the year and junior midfielder Martin Vickerton to the all ASC first team. Spooner spent four seasons playing in the Niagara University program from 2002-05 and is one of the most decorated players in the history of the program. Spooner started 65 games and was a four-time All-MAAC and two-time NSCAA All-New York Region selection. He tallied 52 points in his career, which ranks sixth on Niagara’s all-time points list. After the completion of his playing career he went onto coach with the purple eagles for the 06 and 07 seasons where they compiled an 8-8-4 conference record making the playoffs both years.
Spooner hails from Mickleover, England and prior to coming to the States he spent 2 years as a youth trainee with the Northampton Town Football Club. In the summer of 2003, Spooner was a member of the Great Britain team that competed in the World University Games in Daegu, Korea falling in the quarter finals to eventual finalists Italy. He is also a two-time Empire State Game gold medalist in 2005 and 2006 with the Western Men’s Open team. In 2006 Spooner graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Sport Management and he currently lives with his wife Justine in Chesterfield, Virginia.
The 2009 Outrage season is due to start in mid May. Both teams regular season will consist of home and away games versus the teams in their division. For the men’s side that will be the Cleveland Internationals, Cincinnati Kings, Forest City London, Fort Wayne Fever, Indiana Invaders, Chicago Fire, Toronto Lynx and the Michigan Bucks. For the women that will be the Fort Wayne Fever Women, FC Indiana, Cleveland Internationals, Chicago, West Michigan Firewomen and the Minnesota Lightning. More details on the schedule will be released as they are made available by the United Soccer Leagues.
For information on the Kalamazoo Outrage and TKO visit www.kalamazoooutrage.com or www.tkosoccer.org
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