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Manager of MOBA Fury FC, Paige Livesey

History In The Making: Atlanta's Top Division Female Manager

By Matt Laczko, 11/07/19, 12:30PM EST

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An in-depth profile of MOBA Fury FC's manager Paige Livesey.

ATLANTA -- South of the city of Atlanta, there is a coach who is making waves within the oldest amateur soccer league in the Southeast and she is coaching in that league’s top division. Paige Livesey is a former Gordon State and Clayton State soccer player who is in charge of MOBA Fury FC (formerly Fury FC) which is one of the two teams to be promoted into Division 1 this past season in the Atlanta District Amateur Soccer League. 

Livesey was there from the beginning for Fury FC as a co-manager with current player and co-founder of Fury FC, Dan Bohansky in 2017 where she watched on the sidelines and built her relationship with the team leading up to the 2018-19 season. That is when the team took a sharp turn into success under the sole leadership of Livesey who took the reins as manager of the team and leading them to 2nd place in Division 2, a semi-final run in the 2018-19 Perrin Cup, and upsetting past Division 1 regulars VaHi FC (currently Club ATLetic) in their run to the semifinals in the Perrin Cup.

Livesey says her background as a former player and having been in the world of soccer for over 20 years has helped with her transition into coaching. Currently she is working on obtaining her National D Level Coaching License and playing in the Georgia Amateur Women’s Soccer Association. Livesey is currently the only female manager in the ADASL and is managing in the top division of the league in 2019-20.

Here is our conversation with current manager of MOBA Fury FC, Paige Livesey:

Q: How did you get into coaching?

A: I got into coaching by way of Don Bohensky. He got me started at Pike County Youth Soccer Association when I was in my first year of college at Gordon State. 

Q: What does Fury FC mean to you?

A: Fury is special to me because they were my first real team and I have been with them for two years now. I started in the role as a team manager/game day operation role. This past season Don allowed me to take over as head coach completely. It meant a lot to me that the guys had the heart and the commitment to push through to be promoted to Division One after only being in the league for two seasons.

Q: What are your goals and your team goals in their first season in D1?

A: I hope that this season they show everyone they deserve to be a division one team. Obviously everyone on the team wants to win and be on the top. For our first season in D1 I want them to be more patient in the attack and smart in the defense. I want them to compete at the higher level and, of course, stay in D1 for next season.

Q: What’s something that really makes your team stand out?

A: I think the passion and the heart they have for the game helps them stand out. We have a number of smart players on the roster and it shows on the pitch during game days. I think the biggest thing that stood out for us last season is the fact that we won more than one game with less than 11 players on the field; that just shows the drive they had as a team. 

Q: How does it feel to be the only female coach in D1 in the ADASL and what would you tell other former soccer players looking to get into coaching in the ADASL, about the experiences you have had so far?

A: Being a female coach is a tough profession. It was a big challenge to earn the respect and trust from the team in my first season as their coach. Not only am I a female coach coaching a men's team; I am also much younger than many of my players. They all know the game well so it was a challenge for me to build their confidence and trust in me as their coach. In the beginning I was a little intimidated being the only female coach in the league, however; when I gained the trust of my players and I was able to see them climb the ladder to the top of the table I gained confidence in myself. You really just have to believe in yourself as a coach and truly believe that what you're doing is right for your team. Going forward, my advice to anyone wanting to get into the league is to be prepared in what you can give to your team and to really listen to your players when they give you feedback on how they feel about the way the game went or how a practice session went. These guys know the game well so anyone coaching at this level needs to be prepared to answer the difficult questions and to have different scenarios planned out to be able to show your players a different point of view. 

 

Be on the lookout for Paige Livesey as an up-and-coming manager in the league and her team as they continue their season in the top-flight of the Atlanta District Amateur Soccer League!

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