MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – The Georgia College & State
University department of athletics and director Stan Aldridge have
announced the hiring of Juan Pablo Favero as head soccer coach.
Favero comes to Bobcat country from Newberry College, a Division II
program in the South Atlantic Conference (SAC).
While at Newberry, Favero compiled a 40-37-13 mark over five
seasons, setting school marks for career wins and win percentage
(.517). The 2007 squad finished 8-5-6, taking the best conference
finish in school history at second place. The school has had five
seasons with .500-or-better success, four of which have come during
the Favero era.
In 2004, Favero led the Lady Indians to numerous school records,
including best overall record and best conference record, which
were 13-5-1 and 4-3, respectively. In only his second year at
Newberry, Favero earned SAC Coach of the Year, Favero’s third
career conference coach of the year honor. Over his five seasons,
the Indians garnered 15 all-conference player awards, including one
honorable mention All-American.
“I want to thank the entire search committee as well as Dr.
Aldridge, Jimmy Wilson and Steve Barsby for their role in this
process,” said Favero. “The commitment to making my
family comfortable and the commitment to the players and soccer
program at GCSU played a huge role in my decision to accept the
position.”
“Due to some solid recruiting, there is a good group of
players here at GCSU that bring the program close to breaking
through,” he added. “It’s much different than
I’m used to in my career history of having to rebuild. This
team is close to winning its first-ever Peach Belt Conference
title, and that will be our goal. The girls are coming off the best
season in school history, and now have raised the expectations and
excitement around soccer at GCSU. They’re ready to break
through to the next level, and I’m here to help them do just
that.”
Favero has a career-long pattern of taking programs from rags to
riches, extending beyond the Lady Indians. He had a hand in
renovating both the men’s and women’s soccer programs
at Missouri Baptist University before he arrived in Newberry. While
at Missouri Baptist, he led his teams to NAIA prominence and was
awarded with the American Midwest Conference Coach of the Year
honor for the men in 2001 and for the women in 2002, as both teams
went from struggling to winning conference championships and
earning national ranks.
Prior to his work at Newberry and Missouri Baptist, he also helped
rebuild the soccer program at his alma mater, Palm Beach Atlantic
College. In 1994, he received his undergraduate degree with honors
in international business and marketing and earned a Master’s
degree in counseling psychology from the school in 1997. While
coaching at PBA, he also served as a guidance counselor and coach
at a West Palm Beach high school.
Favero is a member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of
America (NSCAA), from which he holds the Premier Diploma, and of
the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), from which he holds a
National "A" coaching license. He is also a member of the American
Association of Applied Sport Psychology (AAASP) and has a Level 1
Psychology for Soccer certification from the English Football
Association.
He has worked as a sports psychology consultant with the Saint
Louis University men’s soccer team and the Lou Fusz Soccer
Club. Recently, he has done consulting for Thermo-King Corporation
and the Carolina Elite Soccer Academy (CESA) out of Greenville,
S.C. He has also been involved in coaching and sports psychology
with the South Carolina Olympic Development Program. Additionally,
Favero has traveled to Australia and New Zealand as a coach with
the People to People sports ambassador teams.
Favero, originally from Argentina, is married to his high school
sweetheart, Christie. The couple has three children, Alejo (8),
Keila (7), and Malena (2).
2007 was a dream season for the Bobcats, the most successful in the
program’s four-year history. The team shattered the school
mark for wins (13) and junior forward Hayley Ferrell (Hampton, Ga.)
set the individual season marks for goals (16) and points (34).
Jamie Nevin (Grovetown, Ga.), Ferrell and Cobb all earned All-PBC
Team selections for their efforts, with Cobb earning the
school’s first all-region honor. The team also scored the
most goals (46) and gave up the fewest (17) in school history.
Favero will be the second coach in program history, replacing
Robert Parr, who resigned in November.
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