Coach Aloia grew up in Birmingham and has been coaching soccer his entire adult life. He started coaching at the YMCA at 21 years old and has been hooked on the game ever since. He has coached in various youth clubs in Birmingham, and also had stints at local high school teams. He has been with BSC since 2010. He holds the USSF E license and really enjoys the opportunity to impact his players’ lives to teach them about the game and how it relates to life. His favorite Bible verse is Romans 8:28.
Raymond Butler, 00 Lady Ambassadors Gold
Coach Butler grew up in Huntsville, AL and fell in love with the game. He has been coaching in the Birmingham area for over 20 years and spent 5 years with Briarwood SC. He holds his USSF D license and the NSCAA National diploma. He loves to impart his knowledge of the game and use soccer as a platform to build a relationship with Christ into the kids lives he coaches. His favorite Bible verse is Romans 5:15.
Kevin Cawthon, 00 Ambassadors Goldd
Coach Kevin grew up playing in the Greenville, SC area for the Carolina Elite Soccer Association, CESA. He played collegiately at College of Charleston and has been coaching at Briarwood SC since 2013. He has an infectious enthusiasm for the game and loves to impart his knowledge of skillful soccer to young players to play the game with flair and creativity. He holds the USSF E license and is a great student of the game. His favorite passage from the Bible is Romans 1.
Neil Richard Clement, 97 Ambassadors Gold
Neil is from Manchester, England and has been in Birmingham for 20 years. He grew up playing in England, and finished playing for his school team. Neil holds several coaching licenses, including the NSCAA Premier Diploma, Advanced National Diploma, National Diploma, Youth National Diploma, English FA Certificates in Psychology for soccer, Fitness for Football, and Laws of the Game, as well as a USSF B License. He has been with BSC for 11 years, and works with the 98 Ambassadors Gold. Neil loves helping the children develop strong character and good work ethic, and his favorite Bible verse is Colossians 1:17.
Lauren Gilmer, 02 Lady Ambassadors Gold
Lauren grew up playing soccer in the Birmingham area for various clubs and was played in the ODP program as well. She has a passion for the game and wants to give that passion away to the next crop of young players. She has a heart for the Lord and desires to use the game to teach others valuable life lessons that she learned through the game. She holds her USSF E coaching license and is a UAB graduate. She is married to Drew Gilmer and her favorite Bible verse is John 14:3.
Jimmy Hollis, 03 Ambassadors Blue; 04 Ambassadors Gold
Jimmy is from Houston, Texas and has been in Birmingham 15 years. He grew up playing soccer and has a noticeable passion for the game. He played collegiately here at UAB and has been in the Birmingham soccer community for many years, including Mtn Brook Soccer Club and Vestavia High School. Jimmy holds the USSF D license. He has been with Briarwood SC since 2004 and enjoys helping players develop, as well as a love for the game. His favorite verse is Genesis 1:3.
Phillip Jauregui, 98 Ambassadors Blue
Phillip is from San Diego, California and has been in Birmingham since 1997 when he attended University of Alabama. He grew up playing in the fertile soccer ground of San Diego. He has a passion and love for the game and for impacting lives for Jesus Christ. He has coached at various levels in BSC since 2001 most recently our 02 Ambassadors Gold boys. He holds his USSF D coaching license and greatly enjoys leading players through the adversity that soccer brings and pointing them to God’s Word. He lives in Birmingham with his wife Jennifer and sons Phillip and Sam. His favorite Bible passage is II Timothy 1:7.
Jamie Likens, 03 Ambassadors Gold
Jamie is from Owensboro, Kentucky where he grew up playing the game. He played his college soccer at Vanderbilt University. He has been coaching since 2006 and with Briarwood SC since 2011. He holds his USSF E coaching license and loves to teach kids to play the game with skill and passion and to lead them to be Ambassadors for Christ. He lives in Birmingham with his wife Chassidi, and 4 children. His favorite Bible passage is the book of Romans.
Russell Long, 02 Lady Ambassadors Gold
Coach Long grew up in Georgia playing the game and then lived in Belo Horizonte, Brazil for 13 years until 2010. His passion for the game stems from his time there and his desire to impact young people with the Gospel of Christ through the game of soccer. He coached in Atlanta for 2 years and has been with BSC since 2010. He holds the USSF E license and loves to help kids become skillful players and learn what it means to be an ambassador for Christ. His favorite verse is Colossians 1:28-29.
Sibusiso "Sibu" Macwele, 96 Ambassadors Gold
Coach Sibu grew up in Swaziland where he grew up playing soccer his entire life. He reached the youth national team as a high school student and came to America to play college soccer at UAB. He has been coaching in the area since 2009 and has been with BSC since 2012. He holds his USSF E license and loves to help young players develop the necessary skills to reach higher levels of soccer. He lives in Birmingham and works at Sirote and Permutt, PC. His favorite Bible verse is Phillipians 4:13.
Shawn Marlow, 95 Lady Ambassadors Gold; 02 Lady Ambassadors Gold, Club Goalkeeping Coach, Skills Trainer 
Coach Marlow is in his eighth year at Briarwood Soccer Club. Coach Marlow is also on the ODP staff for the state of Alabama and is an assistant coach for Briarwood Christian School in Birmingham. He also has coaching experience at the Shelby County Y.M.C.A. and American Soccer Club. He holds the USSF National "Y" youth license and USSF "D" and "E" level national coaching license and also has the youth module one and two certificates. He also holds the NSCAA Level I GK license.
He is the head coach for both the Lady Ambassadors Gold 95 and the Lady Ambassadors Gold 02 teams. Shawn coached the Briarwood Lady Ambassadors Blue 94 to the 2010 Alabama DII U-17 State championship defeating Mobile 1-0 in the finals. Shawn was also a member of the 2006, 2007 and 2010 soccer club mission team trips to Belo Horizante, Brazil. He is employed by Briarwood Soccer Club as field manager, coach and registrar. When he is not coaching soccer you will find him spending time with his wife Ginger and his two children Gretchen and Hannah. He enjoys fishing, hiking, roto baseball, hockey and soccer and following the University of Tennessee sports. His favorite bible verse is Ecclesiastes 7:14, "In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him."
Jeff Martin, 01 Ambassadors Gold
Coach Martin grew up in Vestavia, AL where he played club and high school here in Birmingham. He played his college soccer at Furman University and has been coaching since 2008 at Palmetto SC in South Carolina. He joins the BSC staff with a wealth of knowledge of the game and a desire to teach our players. He enjoys mentoring young players in the game and in life, using the game of soccer to impact kids decision-making. He holds his USSF E coaching license and lives in Birmingham with his wife Annette and 2 children. His Favorite Bible passage is Isaiah 1:17.
David Puckett, 99 Ambassadors Gold
Coach Puckett grew up in Raleigh, NC, one of the best youth soccer areas in America, where he played club and school soccer. He has been in the Birmingham coaching community since 2004 and been with BSC since 2008. He holds his USSF D license and loves to teach kids the game of soccer and use it as a vehicle to impact them for Christ. His favorite Bible verse is Isaiah 43:10-13.
Mark Shannon, 97 Lady Ambassadors Gold
Coach Shannon grew up in Chattanooga, TN where he played his college soccer at Covenant College. He has been coaching for 29 years, most recently with Tulsa Soccer Club in Oklahoma, where he coached for 11 years. He came to Briarwood SC in 2013 with a tremendous amount of coaching knowledge and experience. He holds his USSF C license and the USSF National Youth Coaching License. He loves to be a strong positive influence in the lives of young players and help the “light bulb” come on when players get the understanding of the game and the value of hard work and discipline. His favorite Bible verse is Proverbs 13:3, “Happy is the person who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding."
Todd Sproull, Skills Trainer
Coach Sproull grew up in Los Angeles, Chattanooga, and ultimately landed in Birmingham, where he played his club and school soccer. He played his college soccer at University of Montevallo and has been coaching at BSC since 2007. He holds the USSF E license. He loves watching players develop skill and vision for the game while sharing his passion for the Lord with his players, using the game to teach them how they are fearfully and wonderfully made in Christ. His favorite Bible verse is Hebrews 12:1-3.
Gene Talley, 97 Lady Ambassadors Blue
Coach Talley grew up in Birmingham and has been coaching since 2007, he has been with BSC since 2012. He holds his USSF E and the USSF National D coaching licenses and loves to help young players achieve their potential on and off the field, using the competition of soccer to help them realize how much they are capable of achieving. His favorite verse is 1 Peter 4:10 “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms."
Ike Udeh, 04 Ambassadors Gold
Coach Ike grew up in Nigeria in west Africa, he came to the US to play collegiately at Alabama A & M. He went on to a pro career including a stint at Kansas City Wizards of the MLS and several caps with the Nigerian National team. He has been coaching in the Birmingham area since 1999 and with Briarwood SC since 2013. He is passionate about the game and loves to give kids great training that will help them develop into great players. His favorite Bible passage is Psalm 23.
Brantley Visser, 98 Ambassadors Gold
Coach Brantley grew up in the Birmingham area and played for Briarwood High School as well as Mountain Brook and Vestavia club teams. He has been coaching for since 2007 with the Auburn club and now for BSC since 2008, he holds his USSF E license. He loves to teach creative attacking soccer and to watch players grow and develop into a cohesive team. He greatly enjoys imparting life’s lessons through soccer pointing them toward God, his favorite Bible verse is Romans 5:3-5.
Daniel Whitaker, 98 Ambassadors Gold
Coach Whit grew up playing in the Birmingham area and has been coaching since 2009. He played at Briarwood High School and several local clubs. He holds his USSF E license and has been coaching with Briarwood SC since 2011, most recently with our 01 Ambassadors Gold team.
Eric Woodard, 02 Ambassadors Gold
Coach Woodard is part of the pioneering legacy of Birmingham soccer. He grew up in the Birmingham area playing at Indian Springs High School and Birmingham Southern College. He was part of the initial Alabama ODP team during his prep career. After college, he played professionally for the Birmingham Grasshoppers and Chattanooga Express in the USISL in the early 90s. He has been in the youth coaching community for over 20 years with several clubs, high school teams, and on the ODP staff. He has been with Briarwood SC since 2012. He also has ties to Briarwood SC having coached Cat (Reddick) Whitehill on the Alabama ODP team the year she was selected to the youth national team. He holds his USSF C license and is a licensed referee. He loves the game and loves to impart his knowledge and experience to his players.
