Women's Soccer
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- neil.payne@ttu.edu
Payne arrived at Texas Tech with 19 total seasons of coaching experience including three prior years at the collegiate level, three in the professional leagues and 13 years as the Technical Director for Real Colorado, one of the premier girls youth soccer clubs in the country.
During his tenure in Colorado, Payne helped produce hundreds of collegiate players, with standouts that include a pair of Red Raider All-Americans in Jaelene Hinkle (U.S. Women's National Team) and Janine Beckie (Canadian Women's National Team). Under Payne's leadership, Real's impressive player development record also involved 38 players gaining U.S. Youth National Team experience including standout Mallory Pugh (U.S. Women's National Team).
"Neil Payne has had a huge hand in Real becoming one of the nation's premier girls programs and has consistently produced nationally acclaimed teams and players," Stone said. "Neil's knowledge of the game and coaching style are a great fit for the culture and playing style here at Texas Tech.
"Neil's record for player development and team success is tremendous and his strong relationships within the youth soccer community will be a huge asset for our recruiting efforts in the coming years. We are excited to have Neil, Catherine and their two daughters join the Red Raider family this June."
In Payne's last nine years with Real Colorado, he won the United States Youth Soccer Association (USYSA) National Title and eight of his teams qualified for the national finals in the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) and U.S. Soccer Academy League. The Real Colorado girls program earned three top 10 national rankings, including No. 5 in the ECNL in 2014. The club sent over 450 players to the college level during his tenure while winning 44 state cups and seven regional championships.
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"I am excited to be entering this new cycle of the women's soccer program," Payne said. "Tom and his staff have worked diligently over the past eight years in establishing themselves as a nationally-recognized top-20 program. Tom is a forward-thinking coach who likes to play creative soccer. We are very similar in our philosophies and I am determined to represent him and the university to the best of my ability."
This is Payne's second stint in college soccer, as he previously spent four seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers claimed back-to-back Big South regular season titles in his final two years thanks to a 23-9-2 record during that span.
Payne remains one of the top players in Coastal Carolina history (1992-95) as his 123 career points ranks third all-time in the school record book, while his 46 goals and 31 assists both stand at fourth. He made two NCAA appearances, was an All-American candidate and a two-time First Team South Region honoree. Payne was captain of the Chanticleers for three years of his tenure, earning Big South MVP in 1995 on their way to the conference title.Â
From 1996-98, Payne was a professional soccer player in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and captained the team to a league championship in 1997.Â
Payne holds a USSFÂ A-Senior License.Â
