Written by Arius Gatson

Shayni Paul is the head coach for the women’s soccer team at Concordia University Chicago (CUC). She has been coaching at CUC for almost two years. Paul chose CUC because of the opportunities and location of the university. Paul said, “I felt like there were a lot of opportunities within the conference for teams to grow and to move. I come from schools that I’ve coached at and played at that were very highly competitive, and I wanted a team that had the opportunity to grow and become that type of competitive level.”

Paul comes from Manesha, Wisconsin. She attended Marion University in Wisconsin where she studied Sports and Recreational Management. Paul chose CUC because of two reasons. The first reason was because she “felt that there is a lot of opportunity in the conference fort teams to grow and move.” Although CUC is a much smaller school than what she is used to, she felt that coaching here would be a great opportunity for teams to grow and show their competitiveness in the conference. The second reason Paul chose CUC was because of the location. Paul stated, “I love how we’re close to Chicago and we’re not. I felt that was a great recruiting tool because you have to believe where you’re at in order to bring people in.”

Paul’s coaching style can be described in a unique, but very interesting way. She described herself as, “someone with high expectations.” As head coach, you must provide guidance in a way for the team to play effectively. Having a specific type of coaching style gives coaches the opportunity to assist their team in performing great on and off the field. Paul also said, “I can be pretty intense, especially on the field, but I also believe in constructive criticism and positive reinforcement.” Giving feedback and staying positive as much as possible, helps the team work together and play better on the field.

Paul has been playing soccer since she was four years old. Soccer was one of her favorite sports to play, but she still participated in other sports. Paul was a part of the swim team, she played softball, basketball, dance, tennis, and volleyball. She always had a love for the game, which helped inspire her to become a coach. Throughout her years in high school and college, Paul didn’t really have an idea of what she wanted to do.

The only thing she did know for sure was that she always wanted to be a part of the game. It was until her junior year of college when Paul finally realized she wanted to be a coach. Paul said, “My coach sat me down and told me that I had a lot of potential to be an impactful coach. He pushed me in the direction of the degree I have now, which is sports and recreational management.”

After Paul graduated from college, she began her career in coaching. Paul did coaching at the club level, high school coaching, and she also a coaching practicum with her college team. Coaching with her college team made Paul realize what her coaching style was. Coaching with her college team also helped guide her into what level she wanted to coach at. Paul has been coaching since 2014.

Paul discussed what a typical day for the team looks like. Twice a week the team goes into the fitness center to partake in lifting at 7 a.m. with Coach Ken. After that, the women will go through their normal day with their classes, have lunch, and do whatever they can in their free time. Later on in the day, most of the women will go to the training room to get a checkup if they have any injuries or need to get taped up. After that, the team has practice (everyday) from 2-4 p.m. Lastly, after practice the team goes to study tables and do an hour or two of homework. This is usually what a typical day looks like, but the day can look different if the team has a game. If there is a game then the women don’t lift.

Paul has had the opportunity to coach other sports, but she chose not to. Soccer has always been one of Paul’s favorite sports to play. She has been a part of soccer for so long, she had so much love for it, that she wanted to make a coaching career out of it. As she continues to coach, her love for soccer also continues to grow each and every day.