Skyrocket 2008 will feature Greg Gidman. Born in England, Greg’s top-notch defense helped propel Houghton College to a national championship. He went on to play professionally in both Puerto Rico and Canada. He now coaches college soccer here in the USA.

Skyrocket Director Doug Lucas had this to say about Coach Gidman: "It's clear that Coach Gidman knows the game and how to play it. But what I also appreciate about Greg is that he also knows the Lord and how to put soccer into the context of serving Him." To read more about Coach Gidman, click on the "Read More" link immediately below.

Coach Gidman received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Education from Houghton College in New York which is a very strong academic University.  He also received a Masters of Art from the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. 

He has played at the highest levels in Canada and at an extremely high level in the United States as well, including one Club National Championship (1975) and one University National Championship (1986).  He played in the Canadian (Professional) Soccer League in 1991 (Kitchener Kickers) and for the Puerto Rico 1^st Division from 1987-1989 (Torrimar).  While in college, he was selected as an NAIA All-American and NCCAA All-American and was selected National Tournament Player of the Year in 1986 (NCCAA).

While coaching the Wesleyan Academy Eagles in Puerto Rico in 1987, he led them to a National Championship. Since 1994, he has coached University Men's teams in the USA. During that time, he has taken teams to 4 NAIA National Tournaments and 2 NCCAA National Tournaments.  He has also received numerous Coach of the Year Awards by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).

He has worked extensively with the Olympic Development Program both at an area level, as well as regional level, and also directs coaching for a local soccer club with 1400 players. He has a State Goalkeeping License through the NSCAA, as well as the coveted Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) Level 1 and National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) level 2 from Canada.

In Rochester, New York, he helped with player identification for the Rochester Rhinos, a pro team with Major League Soccer. Welcome Coach Greg Gidman!