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Paul Sapsford joins Stanford as a Graduate Assistant Coach for the both the Men’s and Women’s Soccer Teams. Previously, Sapsford was an Assistant Coach for the Women’s Soccer program at Saint Mary’s College in Moraga. In his two seasons with the Gaels, the team compiled a 27-9-4 record and earned an NCAA playoff berth in 2001, their first appearance in seven years.
Sapsford began his coaching career in 1989 following completion of the English FA’s Preliminary Coaching Badge and passed the FA’s Coaching Certificate Course in 1997. He currently holds a USSF "A" License and NSCAA Goalkeeper Academy Level II Award. He has coached United States Youth National Team Goalkeeper’s for Olympic Development Programs in Florida and Northern California, and has previously coached collegiate soccer players in England and Australia. Additionally, Sapsford has coached at soccer schools on behalf of Wimbledon FC, Arsenal FC, Tottenham Hotspur FC and Brentford United FC.
Sapsford was a member of the University of Exeter team which won the Devon and Exeter Premier League Championship in 1997/98. While there, he completed the Post Graduate Certificate of Education in Physical Education. Prior to Exeter, he played collegiate soccer at Saint Mary’s University College, London, where he completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Sport Science. Sapsford's undergraduate thesis examined the Home Advantage in Professional Soccer and was conducted with first team professionals at Wimbledon FC and Crystal Palace FC. He later lectured in the field of Sport Psychology at Saint Mary’s, and his research into the 1994 FIFA Experiment on Semi-Professional Soccer was published in the Journal of Sports Sciences in 1997.
Sapsford is currently studying towards a Masters degree, majoring in Sport Psychology, and is conducting research in the field of collective efficacy with the assistance of Stanford University athletes.