Coach Tony Merola has a long history of coaching elite athletes and developing non-elite soccer players into highly competitive team environments both in the US and the UK. Tony is a UEFA ‘A’ license and UEFA ‘Elite Youth’ coach with a Master of Research in Sports and Exercise Sciences. His academic background has developed the specific focus on decision making capabilities in Elite and Non-Elite Youth team soccer players whilst also creating science-based projects to enhance technical proficiencies in soccer players of all ages and abilities. Seamless players have been filtered through the ‘Merola Way’ and have found themselves gaining professional contracts, representing their Country, making debuts in the English Premier League and Leagues below, gaining scholarships at colleges all over the World whilst also providing opportunities for players to play and study in the UK who were born and raised in the US. His playing experience spans from gaining a professional contract with his birth Town Wrexham Football Club in 1994 where he made his Senior debut at the age of 17 and was selected to represent his Country Wales at Under 18 level. After his tenure with Wrexham FC was over, Tony went on to make over 200 appearances in the Welsh Premier League before two Achilles ruptures ended his career earlier than expected. He found his way into coaching in 2005, having a vision of living and coaching in the US. In 2014, that dream became a reality when he landed in North Texas working for Liverpool FC’s International Academy for 2 years as Academy Manager then later as Director of Soccer Expansion overseeing and managing Elite Clubs across the US that represented the Premier League Club’s International presence. Coach Merola has served on the Boys ECNL staff at Solar Soccer Club in North Texas, winning the Texas ECNL Conference in 2018 at U16 level whilst also reaching the Dallas Cup final, narrowly losing to a top 5 MLS Academy. His travels have seen him employed as the ECNL boys Director at Tulsa Soccer Club whilst helping assist the full-time men’s professional USL team FC Tulsa in 2019. For the past two seasons you have seen Coach Merola performing as the Head Coach for the NPSL semi-professional team Fort Worth Vaqueros. Coach Merola’s International experience saw him employed full time for 3 years at Wales’ oldest professional soccer club as Head Coach at Wrexham Football Club’s Community Foundation program. During this role, he also was the Head Coach for the Clubs Center of Excellence coaching age groups U15s and U16s whilst also employed as the Club scout analyzing opposing teams for the First team manager. For the past 4 years, Coach Merola has been teaching and coaching High school soccer in North Fort Worth and lives a short drive from Downtown with his wife Colleen and young daughter Charlie Rose who are both avid Wrexham FC supporters.