Dr. Abdallah has been with AYSO United since we officially launched five years ago. Dr. Abdallah works and lives in the Flagstaff area, where the competition for players in a small community can be tough. Dr. Abdallah initially started out coaching three teams, but after the pandemic hit, he saw his numbers decline and struggled to have enough players to form a 2011 girls team. When his older teams fell apart. Dr. Abdallah never considered moving his older boys to play for another club.
Dr. Abdallah signed his boys to play for AYSO United teams, in the East Valley. This means he would have to make the 90-minute commute so his boys could train at least once a week, and then down almost every weekend for matches. For those not familiar, Flagstaff is located in the northern part of our start and frequently has snow on the ground in the winter. Having a safe place to train is very difficult and teams are often forced to find space indoors whenever they can find space, because the season for his age group runs right through the winter months. The weather can be such a factor, there are weekends when the team will be snowed in and not able to make the trip down. Dr. Abdallah is a chiropractor, who has been volunteering as coach since he started with the Region 257. Dr. Abdallah has commented coaching for United is like having a second job. His hard work and dedication to his team has provided in some fantastic results.
From the beginning of the season to date, Dr. Abdallah’s girls have had 17 wins and only 1 loss in league and tournament play. They have scored 67 goals and only conceded 8. These are outstanding numbers and truly an example of Dr. Abdallah’s commitment to excellence. However, we believe there is more to being a National Coach of the Year than just winning games. Here is a quote from a parent from Dr. Abdallah’s team: “Stats are important and say a lot about a coach. Winning is nice. Championships feel great. But building a relationship with your players and finding meaningful ways to truly impact their life long after the season ends is what makes Adham Coach of the Year in my eyes.
Coach of a Lifetime, really.” In addition to dedicating his time, Dr. Abdallah has donated a lot of his personal resources. He donates his services as a chiropractor to all his players, and many former players, who need treatment. He is known to pile players up in his vehicles to travel down for matches when parents could not afford to make the trip from Flagstaff to the Phoenix area. He would often buy them lunch or a treat so they would not go hungry or feel left out. On occasion, he has even been known to cover the cost of hotels so his families can travel with the team. One year,
Dr. Abdallah found out that one of his families could not afford Christmas gifts. He contacted the parents and gave them money to buy gifts on the condition they did not know it came from him. For Dr. Abdallah, being a coach is far more than just teaching kids about the game, it is providing them with an example of humility and grace that will have a far greater impact on them as they complete their soccer playing careers. Dr. Abdallah epitomizes everything we believe in at AYSO United Arizona and we hope he is strongly considered for the honor of National Coach of the Year.
Our DOC said about Dr. Abdallah:
Dr. Abdallah is everything we are looking for in a coach. He is a product of the AYSO core values and he has never forgotten where his roots are. I have watched Dr. Abdallah grow as a coach and his commitment to AYSO United is beyond reproach. He attends every event we hold and he makes sure his girls are receiving the recognition they deserve. I am truly proud to submit Dr. Abdallah as our Arizona Coach of the Year and as our nomination for National Coach of the Year.
