John Welsch is a staple diet in the Colorado Soccer community. A man of integrity, a copious amount of intelligence and is very much soccer and life savvy. When John holds court it’s a good idea to listen. Watch. Listen and learn. Richie English.

INSTAGRAM… johnwelschcoaching

TWITTER…. @JohnWelschCoaching

WEBSITE… www.johnwelschcoaching.com

Meet Coach John

Born and raised in the Netherlands, John Welsch arrived in the United States at age 18 to study and play soccer at North Texas State University in Denton, Texas. John was a two-time All-American and a four-time All-Midwest player at NTSU, in those days a perennial power-house in college soccer.

After being selected to play in the 1980 College Senior Bowl, he was then drafted by the Chicago Sting of the North American Soccer League and played in Chicago during the 1980-81 indoor season before returning to the Dallas area to play for the Dallas Americans of the American Soccer League until 1984.

Following his professional soccer career, John was hired as the first head coach for FC Boulder in 1989. With the help of some amazing coaches and staff members, he transformed FC Boulder into one of the top clubs in Colorado. His 28 years with FC Boulder made him the longest running Director of Coaching in Colorado and under his guidance, Boulder has become a hotbed for soccer.​

As of 2021, John has coached more players who have succeeded at the high school varsity level than any other coach in the North Metro/Boulder County area. Over 200 of John’s former players have gone on to play collegiate soccer including NSCAA All-Americans, NCAA National Champions and All-Conference players. John has coached players that have gone on to play professional soccer as well as players who have gone on to coach at the professional, collegiate and high school levels.

Besides coaching at the club level, John served as head coach for Boulder High School in the 1990s, assistant coach for the University of Colorado Women’s team and a Colorado Olympic Development Program staff coach. As the first USSF "A" licensed coach in the area, John has conducted coaching certification courses for many Colorado youth coaches. He currently organizes the annual Colorado Soccer Coaching Symposium, bringing some of the top coaches in the United States to Boulder each winter.

John departed FC Boulder for Boulder County Soccer Club in 2017, seeking to help build an alternative to what he saw as an increasingly “big business” approach to youth soccer. During his four years at BCSC, the club made great strides, culminating in the Fairview boys high school team winning the Colorado 5A state championship, with 8-of-the-11 starters coming from the BCSC program.

​John believes that mindful coaching, inclusive programming and a commitment to excellence is the pathway to success in soccer and that quality soccer experiences should be available to players and families of all backgrounds.