May Coach of the Month

May Coach of the Month

Jason Vittrup

Soccer has been a profound youth sport for many years and has given many great opportunities to an extensive number of individuals who play for the love of the game. Some even come full circle and end up coaching a team of their own.

That has been the case for the IYSA May Coach of the Month, Jason Vittrup. Vittrup grew up playing soccer in Dallas, Texas, since he was six years of age. He played his entire life, all the way through college, where he played for Rollins College, North Texas State University and Midwestern State University.

“One of my favorite moments playing was when I scored two goals in the U17-U19 Bronze National Championship McGuire Cup,” Vittrup said.

But his passion for soccer became more that just playing. In his youth, he noticed that most of the coaches were just parents and there was a time when his 12-year-old brother’s team needed a coach. At the age of only 15, Vittrup decided that with his playing experience, he wanted to take on this new venture and give back to younger players.

“Jason was one of my favorite coaches because he constantly worked on improving our skills every week and always held us accountable,” said Emily Carrell, a U18 girls Idaho Torrent player. “He would even reward us for using new skills in games and we could always count on him to be there for us.”

His passion for the game has not wavered. Vittrup is currently the Director of Coaching for the Idaho Torrent and ‘97 boys Olympic Development Program head coach.

“Coaching takes a great amount of patience and focus on technical skills,” said Vittrup. “Players need to fall in love with the ball and the one thing that I think of is that we need to try to get better every day, if not, someone else will.”

Vittrup has helped many players develop, some of whom have gone on to be coaches as well.

“Jason gave me my first coaching job after college and he always made all coaches, players and parents feel as if they were family and part of something unique,” said Nationals West DOC and College of Idaho Assistant Coach Taylor Bodily. “He has a great knowledge of the game and I believe that he is one of the best coaches in the state.”