Neil Stafford
	Title	Head Coach Women's Soccer
	College	S. New Hampshire '95
	Telephone	(508) 767-7236
	Fax	(508) 798-2568
	EMail	wsoccer@assumption.edu

2004 Northeast-10 Conference Coach-of-the-Year

Neil Stafford, a 1995 graduate of Southern New Hampshire University and a former standout player with the Penmen, was named the head women's soccer coach at Assumption College in January 2001. He replaced John Murphy, who resigned to become an assistant coach with the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer.

Stafford came to the College in 2000 as associate head coach of both the men and women's soccer programs. The Hounds set a mens team-record for wins (13), earned a second straight Northeast-10 Conference playoff berth and then won the ECAC Division II championship. Stafford's first women's team (2001) finished 7-9 with one of the youngest rosters in the country.

In 2002 the Greyhounds, starting eight first-year players, qualified for the Northeast-10 playoffs and earned a spot in the ECAC Division II Tournament. In 2004 the team advanced to the Northeast-10 Conference championship game and earned the program's first NCAA regional bid---advancing to the championship game. The team was ranked No. 14 in the final national poll and he was named the Northeast-10 Conference Coach-of-the-Year. In 2005, the Hounds again reached the final of the conference and the NCAA regional. Stafford is now the winningiest coach in Hounds' women's soccer history at 56-34-6.

A graduate of Marlboro, MA High School, Stafford lettered in soccer, hockey and tennis and led his soccer team (Coach John Ludgate) to the semifinals of the state tournament as a junior. He also prepped a year at Worcester Academy (Coach Colin Bell) and was named team MVP along with earning all-New England honors.

He attended Norwich University (Coach Dan Shepherd) and played both soccer and tennis. He was named as all-region NESCAC player before transferring to Southern New Hampshire (Coach John Rootes). He led the Penmen to a two-year record of 29-4-4 and then joined Rootes' staff as an assistant coach for three years (1995-97) during which the team advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight. He also played professionally, again for Rootes, with the Boston Storm of the USL in 1995-96.

He was named the Director of Operations with the Boston Renegades (W-League) in 1998 and was also Director of the W-1 National Championship in Boston in 1998. He then became the head assistant coach of the Boston Renegades under Peter Bradley (1999-2001). The Renegades have advanced to three national final fours in the last four years and won two W-League National Championships in the last three. His U-18 Renegades were the national runners-up in 2000. Stafford also worked with Seacoast United Soccer Club in Hampton, NH (2002-05) as the Girls Coaching Director and in the summer of 2004 Seacoast United won its first Super Y-League National Championship in the Girls 15 bracket.

Stafford is currently teaching in the Special Education Program, Pilot at Newton North High School. He also works with the Boston Renegades Organization as the head coach of the clubs W-League team.

Stafford received his Bachelors in Social Science and minored in Psychology. He trained and observed with Liverpool Football Club in March 1997.

THE STAFFORD RECORD

Overall Conference

2001 7-9-0....438....5-9-0....457....9th

2002 8-9-2....471....6-6-2....500....6th

2003 11-6-1....647....7-6-1....538....9th

2004 15-6-0....657....10-4-0....714....3rd

2005 15-4-4....789....9-2-3....911....2nd

2006 5-7-4....413....4-6-4....400....9th

2007 4-11-2....294....3-10-1....250....13th

Overall Record: Won 65, Lost 52, Tied 14