Rutgers-Camden Assistant Men's Soccer Coach Don Norton Jr.
Norton interviews former Raptor Light for USC Soccer Journal
CAMDEN, N.J. (March 11, 2021) – Rutgers University-Camden Assistant Men's Soccer Coach Don Norton Jr. has been writing stories for numerous soccer publications for years.
This time, Norton reached into his Scarlet Raptor past while penning another article for the United Soccer Coaches Soccer Journal for March/April 2022.
Julian Light with the 2013
Rutgers-Camden soccer team
In an article entitled "Football with Future Stars, Tanzania," Norton interviewed former Scarlet Raptor men's soccer player Julian Light about his experiences coaching a youth soccer team in Africa. A member of the 2013 Rutgers-Camden men's soccer team that played in the NCAA Division III national championship game, Light ended up graduating from West Virginia University in 2017 with a degree in sport management.
Norton notes, "In August, 2019, Light traveled to Tanzania to join the Future Stars Academy (FSA) coaching staff. For a month, with the club of Arusha, Light trained the U12B in preparation to compete in the Ligi Ndogo East Africa Cup in Nairobi, Kenya. After advancing through a penalty shootout in the semifinals, FSA's U12B Cup run ended as runners-up in the final match."
Light, who lived in Berkeley Heights and attended Governor Livingston High School, talked about growing up in New Jersey, traveling to Tanzania, the technical abilities of his young players, language issues and how his young African players accepted him. He also talked about all the beautiful cities and people he met across that continent.
Norton's article is his 34th piece her has penned for numerous soccer publications over the years, mostly for the
USC Soccer Journal and its predecessor, the
NSCAA Journal. He also has written numerous training articles for publication in
Success in Soccer, Soccer New England, Southern Soccer Scene and
Soccer America. His first published article was called "Coaching A Youth Soccer Team When The Match Begins" and appeared in the February 2004 issue of the
Southern Soccer Scene.
Norton will enter his 10th season as an assistant coach at Rutgers-Camden this fall. He is a long-time youth and collegiate coach who has earned the prestigious United States Soccer Federation National "A" Coaching License, National Soccer Coaches Association of America Premier Diploma, Football Association of Ireland National "A" License (UEFA National "A" License), USSF National Youth License, Scottish Football Association National "A" Certificate, and NSCAA Regional GK Diploma. While earning his Scottish and Irish badges, his instructors and classmates consisted of many of Europe's leading coaches and players from across the continent, including former Scottish national team head coaches Craig Brown and Craig Levein, former Manchester United manager David Moyes and Irish senior national team head coach Brian Kerr.
During the summer of 2019, Norton passed the intense US Soccer Grassroots Instructors course.
Norton was a speaker at the US Youth Soccer/NSCAA Convention in Philadelphia in January 2014. He also serves as a youth talent scout for Major League Soccer's Philadelphia Union.
Prior to his time coaching at Rutgers-Camden, Norton served on the staff of New Jersey Athletic Conference rivals Rowan University and Stockton University. In his first season at Rutgers-Camden in 2013, he helped the Scarlet Raptors post a program-record 23-1-2 record and advance to the NCAA Division III championship game. He also coached at Haverford College, Swarthmore College and the University of Pennsylvania during his 28-year career.
Don Norton's Published Articles
- Coaching A Youth Soccer Team When The Match Begins | Southern Soccer Scene | February 2004
- Midfield Possession to Attack | Success in Soccer | July 2005
- Coaching A Youth Soccer Team When The Match Begins | Soccer New England | January 2006
- It's All About The Players! | Success in Soccer | November 2008
- Planning Your 12-month Season | NSCAA Journal | May 2011
- Are Your Players Doing Their Soccer Homework? | NSCAA Journal | May 2012
- Choose Words Wisely When Coaching Kids | Soccer America.com | December 2012
- Assisting A College Soccer Professor | NSCAA Journal | January 2013
- 10 Tips For The Well-Organized Coach: presentation matters | Soccer America.com | March 5, 2013
- Movement Off The Ball: The Key To Success | Success in Soccer | September 1, 2013
- Evaluating Our Training Session | NSCAA Journal | November 1, 2013
- Starting Your First Training Session | NSCAA Journal | February 2014
- The Coachable Moment: Positive - Information - Positive | NSCAA Journal | December 2014
- The Youth Soccer Parents' Meeting | NSCAA Journal | January 2015
- Small-Sided Games: A Key to More Technical Players | Soccer America.com | April 24, 2015
- Building Your Attack From the Back | NSCAA Journal | March/April 2015
- Training Two Strikers | NSCAA Journal | July/August 2015
- Soccer On The Spectrum | NSCAA Journal | May/June 2016
- Are Your Players Learning to Steal Real Estate? | NSCAA Journal | September/October 2016
- Yelling At The Player With The Ball | NSCAA Journal | January/February 2017
- Defending While Your Team Has The Ball | NSCAA Journal | March/April 2017
- Training Players On The Spectrum | USC Soccer Journal | July/August 2017
- Diversity in Attack: Attacking from the Flanks | USC Soccer Journal | September/October 2017
- Defending For Younger Players | USC Soccer Journal | January/February 2018
- Movement Off The Ball: The Key To Possession | USC Soccer Journal | March/April 2018
- Rick Meana Director of Coaching for New Jersey Youth Soccer | USC Soccer Journal | March/April 2018
- Dr. Terry Eguaoje Director of Coaching for Pennsylvania West Youth Soccer | USC Soccer Journal | Sept./Oct. 2018
- Coaching in the Game: Individual and Team Tactical Decisions | USC Soccer Journal | March/April 2019
- Interview with Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association Technical Director Mike Barr | USC Soccer Journal | May/June 2019
- Interview with Kevin McCarthy, the Director of Youth Development for the Downtown United Soccer Club (NY) | USC Soccer Journal | September/October 2019
- Interview with Giovanni Pacini, a United Soccer Coaches Academy staff member| USC Soccer Journal | January/February 2020
- Interview with Tim Bradbury, the Director of Coaching Instruction for the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association | USC Soccer Journal | May/June 2020
- Interview with Larry Mahony – Irish Coach, Educator and Author | USC Soccer Journal | May/June 2021
- Football with Future Stars, Tanzania | USC Soccer Journal | March/April 2022
