Lethbridge Women’s Soccer Welcome Thiago Bastos as Head Coach
The following post is courtesy of the University of Lethbridge from February 22, 2023 https://gohorns.ca/news/2023/2/22/pronghorns-womens-soccer-welcome-thiago-bastos-as-head-coach.aspx.
LETHBRIDGE – Pronghorn Athletics is proud to announce that Thiago Bastos has been hired to lead the Pronghorn women’s soccer program. The former University of Winnipeg Wesmen Assistant Coach and Futsal Head Coach, will begin as the head coach of Pronghorns Women’s Soccer this off-season.
Originally from Brazil, Bastos comes to the University of Lethbridge with six years of experience coaching in Canada, and a lifelong passion for, Futebol – which extends beyond the pitch and into the community. Bastos’ skills in coaching, team leadership and experience of competing at an elite level inspired him to further pursue a high level of education and training.
Bastos is currently completing a Master’s in High Performance Football from MBP, Barcelona, as well as holding a number of training certifications in Football Psychology, Physical Preparation, Mental Health in Football and analysis. Bastos has been a part of the soccer community around the world and is excited to bring his talents to Lethbridge.
“I could not be more excited and anxious. When I saw that the University of Lethbridge had the Women’s soccer position open I didn’t think twice about it; to be able to work with a top ranked school and do what I love. I’ve always dreamed about being a University coach and all this is like a dream come true.I look forward to living in one of the best cities in Alberta, raising my children in a great and warm community that continuously supports the school and athletics program. It is the perfect job and I couldn’t be happier to join the program.”
Bastos’ coaching philosophy is rooted in supporting the mental and physical well-being of student athletes, as well an emphasis on education and participation in the community through volunteering.
“In my perspective, a strong program is not only focused on providing athletes an advanced technical/tactical program, it goes beyond that… A strong program is where our players can have support in all aspects of their life as a student athlete. It is not only on the field that we will focus, but also ensuring their mental and physical well-being. A program that not only prioritizes results but focuses on mental health and personal growth. In addition to providing them support for their mental health, we will provide a leadership and mentorship program so they will learn how to be leaders on and off the field,” Bastos said.
“We want to make sure that we have strong community engagement. As I mentioned, our community goes above and beyond to support us, so we have to make sure that we go above and beyond to support them. We hope that our student athletes by the end of their career, have a program that helps them grow their understanding of the game, their interpersonal skills, their character and their sense of community. We hope that after graduation we have not only developed players and their love of the game, but new leaders to our society.” Bastos added.
Bastos’ experience and passion for sports, has been demonstrated through his commitment to participating in growing the sport at the grassroots level, as he was the Grassroots Manager for the Manitoba Soccer Association, as well as an Academy Head Coach for the Vancouver Whitecaps Pre-Prospects.
Pronghorns Women’s Soccer will host an ID camp on March 25-26, 2023 and kick-off the Canada West regular season at the end of August.
Source: https://gohorns.ca/news/2023/2/22/pronghorns-womens-soccer-welcome-thiago-bastos-as-head-coach.aspx