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HEAD COACH STU RIDDLE<br />

2009 Western Michigan Men’s <strong>Soccer</strong><br />

STU<br />

RIDDLE<br />

HEAD COACH<br />

Coastal Carolina, ’03<br />

First Season<br />

Stu Riddle was announced as Western Michigan University’s head men’s soccer<br />

coach on January 30, 2009. Riddle becomes the sixth head coach in program<br />

history.<br />

THE RIDDLE FILE<br />

COACHING EXPERIENCE<br />

2008 Fairfield University Assistant Coach<br />

2008 Kalamazoo Outrage (PDL) Head Coach<br />

2005-07 University of Evansville Assistant Coach<br />

2006 Kalamazoo Kingdom (PDL) Head Coach<br />

2001-02 Coastal Carolina Assistant Coach<br />

PLAYING EXPERIENCE<br />

1996 New Zealand National Team<br />

1997-98 Coastal Carolina All-Big South Conference, ’97, ‘98<br />

1999 Football Kingz New Zealand (Professional)<br />

2001 Oxford City England (Professional)<br />

2001 Greenock Morton Scotland (Professional)<br />

2001-02 Des Moines Menace (PDL)<br />

2004 West Michigan Edge (PDL)<br />

2005 Altona Magic Australia (Professional)<br />

Prior to joining the Broncos, Riddle helped guide Fairfield University to a 2008 NCAA tournament appearance after defeating previously unbeaten and No.6 nationally ranked<br />

Loyola College to win the 2008 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Conference Championship.<br />

In 2008 Riddle, who was born in Luton, England, but raised in Wellington, New Zealand, accepted the challenge of developing the Kalamazoo Outrage soccer program with<br />

its first season of competition coming that summer. The Outrage finished their 2008 campaign with a 10-7-1 record beating perennial Premier Development League (PDL)<br />

powerhouses the Michigan Bucks and Chicago Fire in the PDL playoffs before losing to eventual national champion Thunder Bay Chill in the last eight of the competition.<br />

He also established a partnership with English club Sheffield Wednesday that allowed players and staff from both clubs to integrate for the benefit of both programs. Riddle<br />

maintains his relationship with the Sheffield Wednesday coaching staff and has visited the famed club on three occasions, most recently this past Spring, to assess training<br />

methods and the development of their top players.<br />

Riddle spent two seasons as an assistant soccer coach at the University of Evansville, beginning with the 2005 campaign. In his second year with the Purple Aces the team<br />

posted a 9-8-0 record, only the program’s third winning season since 1997. He was responsible for recruiting student athletes as well as coaching and developing players<br />

throughout the season. Riddle also assisted with community relations. Columbus Crew midfielder Cory Elenio who was part of the Crew’s 2008 MLS Cup winning side spent<br />

two seasons working closely with Riddle at Evansville while Riddle also assisted in the development of US U-20 national team goalkeeper Alec Dufty and New Zealand U-20<br />

World Cup defender Kieran Purcell.<br />

His coaching resume also includes time as head coach for the Kalamazoo Kingdom PDL side in 2006 where former LA Galaxy MLS midfielder Josh Tudela and 2006 National<br />

High School Player of the Year Eric Alexander spent a season playing under Riddle’s tutelage. The Kingdom became only the second team to defeat the Chicago Fire at home<br />

in six seasons of play when they battled to a 2-0 win in Chicago in May 2006.<br />

As a player Riddle played collegiately at Coastal Carolina University where he was twice named team MVP and was an All-Big South Conference team member in 1997 and<br />

1998. Riddle signed with New Zealand’s first ever professional soccer team the Football Kingz in 1999 where he played with Oceania Player of the Century Wynton Rufer<br />

and with current San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) Assistant Coach Jason Batty. Riddle went on to play professionally in England with Oxford City, Scotland with Greenock Morton<br />

and in Australia with Altona Magic. While at Greenock Morton, Riddle was coached by European Cup winner and former Liverpool and Scotland national team star Peter<br />

Cormack. He also played in the United States with the Des Moines Menace and West Michigan Edge in the PDL. As a youth player Riddle played alongside Harvard University<br />

head coach Jamie Clark for Western Suburbs FC as a guest player in New Zealand’s national under-19 tournament in which he was one of three nominations for Player of<br />

the Tournament.<br />

Riddle made his international debut for the New Zealand Olympic All Whites in January 1996, appearing in a 2-0 victory over the Solomon Islands. He went on to play in four<br />

national team games under current University of Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark, highlighted by an appearance in a 1-0 victory over arch rivals Australia in Adelaide.<br />

Riddle holds a National <strong>Soccer</strong> Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) National Diploma and is a contributing writer for <strong>Soccer</strong> International magazine and has had articles<br />

published with www.tribalfootball.com. Prior to the 2009 season, was named as one of nine NCAA Division I head coaches on the NSCAA Men’s National Rankings Committee.<br />

Riddle serves as committee head for the Great Lakes Region, reporting weekly to National Chair Carl Rees with a national top 25 and regional top 10 vote. Sixty-one<br />

teams, including Western Michigan, comprise the Great Lakes Region.<br />

Riddle graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education from Coastal Carolina University and a Master of Science in Public Administration from the University of<br />

Evansville. He and his wife, Jessica, reside in Kalamazoo.<br />

16<br />

www.wmubroncos.com • 30 ALL-MAC SELECTIONS • www.wmubroncos.com • 1 MAC CHAMPIONSHIP • www.wmubroncos.com

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