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09/12/2019 12:00 AMGary Collins just couldn’t stay away from soccer or North Haven any longer. A decorated player and coach, Gary is returning to where his coaching career began as he takes the reins as head coach of the North Haven girls’ soccer team this fall.
After coaching girls’ soccer at Hamden High School, Gary took a two-year hiatus from the sidelines. Now, Gary is back in the game and aiming to create a new identity for a club that missed the State Tournament last year after having qualified during the two previous seasons.
“I’m excited,” says Gary. “I’m excited to be back.”
Gary was a two-time All-American soccer player at Mercer County Community College, helping Mercer win a national championship in 1991. Gary moved on to Southern Connecticut State University, where he served as a captain in 1994, while earning All-New England and All-New England Collegiate Conference honors.
Gary’s coaching career began at North Haven High School in 1995. Gary served as coach of the boys’ soccer team alongside assistant Steve Blumenthal, who is now the Indians’ athletic director.
“Gary’s experience coaching, specifically girls, was important,” Blumenthal says. “His knowledge—not only experience coaching, but playing—plays a role. The committee was overwhelmed that we had a candidate of his caliber to be our coach.”
Gary coached at the collegiate level before taking over the girls’ soccer program in Hamden in 2000. Gary coached at Hamden for 17 years and was named the CIAC Soccer Coach of the Year in 2010.
Following the 2017 season, Gary stepped away from coaching, because he wanted to spend time watching his daughter play her final two seasons at Hamden as a fan and a parent. Gary says that watching soccer from the bleachers was an illuminating experience that gave him better insight as to how people view the game. However, Gary’s desire to be on the sidelines never went away.
“I took those two years off and, once [his daughter] graduated, the bug kind of kicked in,” says Gary.
Gary is now back where everything started and hoping to help the Indians rebound from their struggles last year. After making the Class L State Tournament in 2016 and 2017, North Haven finished with a record of 4-10-2 in the 2018 campaign.
“The first thing we are working on now is installing that confidence. Getting that confidence back is huge,” Gary says. “We have to give the players the freedom to play. I think that’s what we are trying to do now, and that gives them that confidence back. You want to put them in situations where they can showcase their abilities.”
Gary believes that playing with confidence means thriving in high-pressure situations. Consequently, Gary has spent the preseason simulating as many pressure-packed scenarios as possible. The first order of business was upping the tempo. Gary instituted a mandatory shin guard rule at practice, thus putting everyone in game-like conditions by having them wear protective gear.
“We have to do everything game speed,” says Gary. “If we don’t, we will be playing at 50 miles per hour when the other team is going 100 miles per hour.”
Gary says that he’s liked what he’s seen from his team on the pitch throughout the preseason.
“We’ve got good skill, good technique. Right now, we are just working on forming the relationships with the players on the field,” Gary says. “We’ve got some strong players who can hold their own.”
Gary’s goals for North Haven go beyond just getting the Indians back into the postseason this year. Gary wants to build the Indians into a perennial playoff contender, and both he and Blumenthal feel that having a strong youth program in town will be a pivotal factor in that mission.
“We have the same concept of what we want to see here,” says Gary. “We have the same thoughts and ideas of what is needed to see it through and build success for the future.”
Gary knows what North Haven’s soccer fans want to see from his team. Gary and the Indians are ready to put it on full display as they get ready to embark on the 2019 season.
“It should be an exciting time for fans for what we are going to put out on the field,” Gary says.