Clarke Central High School head girls varsity soccer coach Steven Stewart poses in Death Valley on Jan. 29. Stewart has coached soccer for 50 years at multiple levels. “You learn just as much by looking at really bad (coaches). Ones that slap their players in the helmet and grab their face, you learn how not to do it,” Stewart said. “There’s an old saying, no one is useless, they can always serve as a bad example.” Photo by Kye Streetman
With 50 years of coaching soccer at multiple levels under his belt, CCHS head girls varsity soccer coach Steven Stewart returns to the sideline with his approach centered around teaching
On a chilly afternoon at Clarke Central High School, CCHS head girls varsity soccer coach Steven Stewart stands on the side of the soccer field, hands in his pockets, watching his players move through drills. He calls out corrections, makes jokes mid-sentence and occasionally quotes historic figures, somehow relating it back to soccer.
After 50 years coaching and a brief retirement, Stewart was hired as CCHS’ head girls varsity soccer coach. His path to the game however, did not begin from a structured program as he was raised on the East Coast in Vero Beach, Florida.
“When I was growing up, there was no youth soccer like there is now,” Stewart said. “(In Vero Beach,) all of the airline pilots from the the Emirates came, guys from Iran, Turkey, all over the world (and) most of them were decent players. So, when I was a kid, I used to play with those guys a lot. That’s how I started playing (and) how I learned to play.”
Those early and informal experiences shaped Stewart’s understanding and love for the game. He went on to play at the Division I school George Mason University, where he graduated in 1981 with a degree in History. After this, Stewart got his Masters from the University of Florida before coming to Athens in 1995 to become the trainer and assistant coach for the University of Georgia’s women’s soccer program and Director of Coaching for Athens United Soccer.
“The first five years (UGA) had a (women’s soccer) program, I trained the team every day and we were pretty good. We got to the NCAA a couple times, (and) the third year we made the Sweet 16,” Stewart said.
Later, Stewart spent 20 years coaching boys and girls soccer at Athens Academy while also teaching history. After completing the 2021-22 season with ACAD, Stewart retired, planning to slow down.“I was ready to go home and watch Bonanza, Gunsmoke and Gilligan’s Island reruns,” Stewart said. “That was the plan”
But stepping away didn’t last long. After helping mentor Cedar Shoals High School head girls varsity soccer coach Nick Miller during the 2024-25 season, Stewart was contacted by CCHS Assistant Principal Everett Nealy, an old colleague from ACAD.
“(CCHS Athletic Director Dr. Jon Ward and I) were talking, and he said, ‘Do you know anybody who might be interested in coaching soccer?’ I said, ‘The former coach at ACAD, he’s a really good coach and he might be interested. I’ll give him a call.’ ( I) gave him a call, he and Coach Ward met, and the rest is history,” Nealy said. “His knowledge level is probably higher than anybody else at the school as far as (soccer) goes.”
Now serving as CCHS’ head girls varsity soccer coach Stewart hopes to emphasize fundamentals and structure, comparing the core of soccer development to education.
“You learn how to write by first (learning) the ABCs, then you learn words, then you learn sentences (and) then you learn paragraphs. You don’t walk into a classroom and say, ‘Write me an essay on the first day,’” Stewart said. “It’s the same way with soccer, you have to learn the basics and understand (them).”
“All of the skill and the love crosses over from teaching and coaching. Coaching is just teaching in short pants (and) then the flip side of that, teaching is just coaching in long pants.”
— Steven Stewart,
CCHS’ head girls varsity soccer coach
That philosophy shapes the style of coaching Stewart wants to bring to CCHS and the style of play he hopes to foster. This is a vision CCHS girls varsity soccer midfielder Olivia Trevino, a junior, is already responding to.
“As a coach, he is very knowledgeable and educated about the game. He wants everyone to be their best versions of themselves,” Trevino said. “Through his understanding (of) the game, he’s made it easy for players to adjust to the new coaching style.”
Stewart recognizes the challenges CCHS’ soccer programs face including limited facilities and shared field space. Still, he remains focused on what matters most: teaching the lesson of soccer.
“We’ll play entertaining soccer and there’s one reason why, I have to watch it. I refuse to sit there for three months in the cold and watch bad soccer,” Stewart said. “Entertaining soccer is when the teams try to keep the ball, It’s not just given away. It’s not sloppy, the technique is good, there’s some tactics involved (and) they have an idea where they’re going. That’s what we are going to do.”
Looking to the future, Stewart isn’t expecting a perfect record, instead he looks for growth. After 50 years in the game, his return to sideline is about teaching, one more time.
“All of the skill and the love crosses over from teaching and coaching. Coaching is just teaching in short pants (and) then the flip side of that, teaching is just coaching in long pants,” Stewart said. “So, whichever hat you’re wearing, you’re trying to help people understand something they didn’t before.”
