Local Leadership Information

Anthony Calvano, Owner/Executive Director:
Anthony is a professional soccer player, a gifted soccer teacher, and a kid enthusiast! He currently plays for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds and previously played for the Harrisburg City Islanders. Anthony started all 40 games of his junior and senior years at Penn State University.

Anthony has coached high school, middle school, and club soccer and has worked with thousands of youth soccer players as a Soccer Shots instructor. In addition to playing and coaching soccer, Anthony has a degree in elementary education from Penn State. Anthony is an active member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). Anthony lives in Pittsburgh with his wife Rachel and daughter Olivia.

Contact: Anthony@soccershots.org or 724-705-5044

Tim Jones, Assistant Director:
As a Pittsburgh native, Tim has been involved with numerous team sports, youth sport organizations and various charity events within the region. A graduate from California University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in sports management, and soon a master's in sports management, Tim brings a wealth of knowledge and a strong background in youth sports. He played a key role in developing the Sto-Rox Youth Soccer Association and has helped build character and team play in youth baseball, basketball and football associations. Tim believes that motivation and inspiration at an early age can help build character and cognitive skills. The program that Soccer Shots delivers is unmatched and can provide a solid stepping stone in providing children with the chance to grow socially, personally, emotionally and build motor skills -- all while having fun in a healthy, structured environment.

Contact: Tjones@soccershots.org or 412-889-4899

Soccer Shots Goals and Coaching Philosophies

As Soccer Shots instructors, we have been given the unique opportunity to coach and invest in the lives of children. For many of these children, it will be their first time playing an organized sport -- and we treat this opportunity with great honor. In order to accomplish our objective to provide a great experience in a child's week, we commit the following goals and coaching philosophies:

1. To seek 100% participation
2. To approach every session with two objectives: FUN for every child and LEARNING new skills and concepts. These two objectives work together, and our mission is not fulfilled if both objectives are not met.
3. To make the experience POSITIVE for every child enrolled. Small accomplishments for some can be HUGE. We take a "You can do it!" approach to everything we teach. Constant encouragement is essential to this philosophy.
4. To influence children in areas of healthy living habits -- we talk about exercising daily, taking care of our bodies (warm-up and stretch), and enjoying activity, even if it's not soccer.
5. To influence children in areas of strong character: Traits such as respect, honesty, positive attitude, and encouragement are just a few examples of character traits we hope to pass on to the children we work with.

Sincerely,

Anthony Calvano
Owner/Executive Director - Soccer Shots Pittsburgh
&
Tim Jones
Director - Soccer Shots Pittsburgh