OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Oly Town Artesians announced today that the club has made a coaching leadership change with Tom Boatright, a long time Olympia area player and coach, named as Manager, taking over for Matt Herrera. Boatright will coach the team for the rest of the 2019 season.
“Coaching continuity is always a plus,” said Oly Town FC Director of Soccer Operations Leon Grinnell. “However, we have a couple of weeks between games for the players to adapt to a new structure, system and its demands.”
Matt Herrera took over the Artesians before the 2018 season and led the team to a 5-3-2 record last year, finishing with the third best record in the EPLWA but missed out on the playoffs due to wild card rules. The club struggled to a disappointing 0-3-0 record to start this season leading to the change before Sunday’s trip to Tri-Cities. An original Oly Town player, the club thanks him for all that he has given the team over the past four years.
Tom Boatright joins the Artesians with an impressive soccer resume. Coaching at youth, high school and collegiate levels for local clubs and schools, Boatright has several decades of teaching and supporting Olympia’s top soccer products and has helped teams achieve numerous outstanding accomplishments. Tom’s passion as a teacher and leader and his commitment will continue the building tradition of the Artesians’ club. Tom is also a professional artist and an owner in the local technology consulting firm Integrated Solutions Group.
“Tom is a class act and well respected within Washington State soccer circles,” continued Grinnell. “He has a vast knowledge of the game and just as important, the player pool. We believe this is the right person, at the right time.”
“I’m very excited to join the Artesians team,” said Boatright. “The vision and mission of this club is something that ignites my passion to help the community grow it’s soccer foundation. I’m also very appreciative of the club’s ownership, leaders and the sponsorship group. When asked to join the team and help, the answer was easy to come to.”
Boatright will retain current assistant coach Steve Schmidt and will be joined on the bench by Nick Boatright. Tom’s son Nate Boatright is an Original Artesian, having played with the team since their inception in 2014 and has served as the team’s captain for multiple seasons both indoor and outdoor. His younger son, Eli, has rejoined the team after his high school season came to an end.
The Artesians have a little bit of time to get used to their new coach with the Memorial Day weekend coming up. Oly Town will be back in action on Sunday, June 2nd when they host the second round of the Washington State Super Cup at Black Hills High School. They will face either BeSea FC of Bellevue or ISC Gunners of Issaquah in the second round of the statewide, single elimination tournament. First kick is set for 4:00 PM.
Oly returns to EPLWA action on Sunday, June 9th when Bellingham United visits Black Hills. It is Artesians 500 night and Oly Town will attempt to pack the park by offering soccer clubs, teams and other non-profits the opportunity to raise some funds by selling tickets. If your club or non-profit would like to raise some money, watch some soccer and have some fun, contact the Artesians at artesians@olytownfc.com or by calling Brandon Sparks at (360) 561-7252.