If you’re anything like me as a parent, when you sign your kids up for any type of activity, whether it be soccer, dance, martial arts, etc., you want to know the people who oversee and run the program. These people will be spending countless hours with your children, helping them form a love of the activity they’re doing, being role models, and teaching your children important and vital skills for training and development. Because I’m that parent who wants to know all the things about my kids’ coaches, and I know many of you probably are as well, this will be the first blog piece in a series of features on each of the coaches for Putnam United FC. What better way to start off this series than to focus on Putnam United’s founder, President, coach, and wearer of many hats, Josh Webb! Now, I could write a biography piece on him and tell you all his background, which I will do a little bit of here. However, this particular piece is going to cover more than that; we’re going to discuss Josh as the behind-the-scenes leader he is, the one who is the backbone and driving force behind this incredible club.
So, to begin, let’s just discuss some basics about Josh. Like his children, Ashton (Mini Messi) and McKinlee, Josh started playing soccer at an early age and played competitively in Virginia as well as South Carolina. If you look at his Facebook, you will witness Josh’s love of soccer through the countless soccer-related posts covering his page. Josh’s love of soccer is also apparent in his various roles in Putnam United, where he has worked diligently to offer training for soccer players through travel-competitive teams, a recreational academy, a Topsoccer program, and a skills intensive Lion Academy summer camp. As a US Soccer National D licensed coach within Putnam United, Josh coaches several age groups, including U8, U14, and U16. Additionally, Josh is the founder and owner of JW soccer, which offers personalized individual as well as small group soccer training programs.
Of course, behind every leader is an incredible woman who cheers them on and helps them pursue their passions and dreams. Josh’s wife, Amanda, who is also on the Fundraising Board for Putnam United and constantly works behind-the-scenes for the club, took some time to answer questions for me about Josh and the work he does. I could feel the absolute admiration and respect Amanda holds for her husband through her responses and intense praise of all he does. And ladies, we all know, the love and support we provide our spouses makes all the difference in helping them be even more successful with their passions. Amanda explained to me that Josh is “constantly planning, creating, and executing training plans, workouts, uniform designs, team merchandise, ordering equipment, and researching coaching techniques/ways he and the other coaches can be their very best.” Josh’s continuous desire to help Putnam United’s players improve and live up to their greatest potential is evident in the amount of parents who have chosen to entrust their kids with him and the other coaches within the club.
Now that we’ve gotten all the formal information about Josh out of the way, let me give you the real low-down on him, from a parent who has observed him in action both on and off the field. So, who is Josh Webb? During the soccer season, he’s the guy you’ll see at the field on any given Saturday, setting up the sandbags on the goals, marking the fields (for the younger age groups who play on the grass), talking with parents, encouraging players before they start their games, making sure the games start and end on time, and so much more. Josh is the guy who will get onto a player for goofing off during practice when they should be working hard. Then, he will turn around not five minutes later and be sure to give that same player praise for something they’re doing well. He’s the guy who stops during practice to work one-on-one with a player who needs help with his form when taking a shot on goal. Josh is the guy who religiously and patiently answers the numerous private messages he receives about soccer, even the silly ones from moms like me who worry about every miniscule detail. He is the coach you can hear during games, cheering on and encouraging his players by name and telling them what to do differently next time if they make a mistake. Josh is the guy you’ll see joking around with and enjoying the company of his fellow coaches. He is the guy who doesn’t expect any of his coaches to do something he isn’t willing to do, himself. As Amanda explains, Josh is the guy who is a perfectionist, is truly passionate about soccer, adores the players he trains and works with, won’t stop until his coaches and players are the best they can be, and is one of the most driven people she knows. Josh Webb is the wearer of many hats and the backbone of Putnam United FC.