Ian Sawyers
Encyclopedia
Ian Sawyers is an American soccer coach.
Sawyers attended Carnegie College, a division of Leeds Metropolitan University
in Leeds
, England
. He played professional soccer for the Rotherham United club. Sawyers became Director of Soccer for the Mission Viejo Soccer Club, a youth soccer program based in Laguna Hills, California
, in the late 1980s.
Sawyers then joined the staff of the Stanford University
women's soccer program. He was promoted to acting head coach at Stanford in 1993 when former head coach, Berhane Andeberhan, stepped down. During Sawyers' first season of leadership, the Stanford Cardinal earned a program-record 18 wins and reached the Final Four of the NCAA Division I Championship. Over three seasons, Sawyers led the Cardinal to a 50-8-4 record. Sawyers also served as head coach of the Sacramento Storm, a W-League
team, from 1993 to 1998.
Sawyers was named head coach of the Bay Area CyberRays later known as the San Jose CyberRays, one of the eight founding member teams in the Women's United Soccer Association
. The CyberRays won the inaugural WUSA championship, and Sawyers was named WUSA Coach of the Year for 2001. Sawyers coached the CyberRays for two more seasons, until the WUSA suspended its operations in 2003.
In 2008, Sawyers was named head coach of Sky Blue FC
, a Women's Professional Soccer
team based in the New York City
suburbs of New Jersey
and scheduled to play its first match in April 2009. On May 23, 2009, Sky Blue FC
announced that Sawyers had been suspended indefinitely due to differences with the organization's ownership.
Sawyers attended Carnegie College, a division of Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Metropolitan University is a British University with three campuses. Two are situated in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England while the third is situated in Bhopal, India...
in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He played professional soccer for the Rotherham United club. Sawyers became Director of Soccer for the Mission Viejo Soccer Club, a youth soccer program based in Laguna Hills, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, in the late 1980s.
Sawyers then joined the staff of the Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
women's soccer program. He was promoted to acting head coach at Stanford in 1993 when former head coach, Berhane Andeberhan, stepped down. During Sawyers' first season of leadership, the Stanford Cardinal earned a program-record 18 wins and reached the Final Four of the NCAA Division I Championship. Over three seasons, Sawyers led the Cardinal to a 50-8-4 record. Sawyers also served as head coach of the Sacramento Storm, a W-League
W-League
The USL W-League is a national women's soccer league in the United States on the 2nd level of women's soccer in the United States soccer pyramid, alongside the Women's Premier Soccer League and below Women's Professional Soccer....
team, from 1993 to 1998.
Sawyers was named head coach of the Bay Area CyberRays later known as the San Jose CyberRays, one of the eight founding member teams in the Women's United Soccer Association
Women's United Soccer Association
The Women's United Soccer Association, often abbreviated to the WUSA, was the world's first women's soccer league in which all the players were paid as professionals. Founded in February 2000, the league began its first season in April 2001 with eight teams in the United States...
. The CyberRays won the inaugural WUSA championship, and Sawyers was named WUSA Coach of the Year for 2001. Sawyers coached the CyberRays for two more seasons, until the WUSA suspended its operations in 2003.
In 2008, Sawyers was named head coach of Sky Blue FC
Sky Blue FC
Sky Blue FC is an American professional soccer club based in Piscataway Township, New Jersey which participates in Women's Professional Soccer....
, a Women's Professional Soccer
Women's Professional Soccer
Women's Professional Soccer is the top level professional women's soccer league in the United States. It began play on March 29, 2009. The league was composed of seven teams for its first two seasons and fielded 6 teams for the 2011 season, with continued plans for future expansion...
team based in the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
suburbs of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and scheduled to play its first match in April 2009. On May 23, 2009, Sky Blue FC
Sky Blue FC
Sky Blue FC is an American professional soccer club based in Piscataway Township, New Jersey which participates in Women's Professional Soccer....
announced that Sawyers had been suspended indefinitely due to differences with the organization's ownership.