The Madison Girls’ Varsity Soccer team will proceed under new leadership starting this fall. Rexburg native Jaymon Birch will take over as head coach, replacing Coach Neil Floyd.
“The soccer program in general for the girls’ side has advanced quite a bit over the last few years,” Birch says. “I’m excited for the opportunity to work with them.”
Birch played soccer as a child, but dedicated his time to track and cross country in high school. He got back into soccer after spending some time in Europe, and played competitively for both Ricks College and Utah State.
Upon returning to Rexburg, with his life in full swing, his kids also became involved in soccer. This led to Birch coaching them from a young age, as well as coaching club teams competitively, which he has done for the past four years.
“I’ve pretty much coached all these girls that would be a sophomore or freshman, at least a couple of seasons,” Birch says. “I know them, and love them.”
Aside from being head coach at Madison, Birch also maintains a day job with the Idaho National Laboratory. With an hour commute each way pushing practice back to 5:30 p.m., Birch is nonetheless eager for this opportunity.
“My family is very committed,” Birch says. “It was a family decision to say, ‘Hey, this is something we enjoy. Something we’re excited about.’”
As far as for what the girls can anticipate, Birch intends to hold tryouts as usual. And the end goal, he says, is to perform well at district and “take it to those Boise teams.”
“I’m going to expect them to put in some time on their own,” he says. “There’s nothing guaranteed.”
“We try to keep it upbeat and positive,” Birch adds. “Where we accentuate the positives, and we’ll discuss the negatives but try not to be too overbearing.”
This positivity in coaching is something that Birch believes will not only help his girls as players, but as people too.
“They’re still kids and they’re learning and growing,” he adds. “That’s the key, is to help them realize that so they keep a positive outlook.”