Tony Elmore Named Head Men's Soccer Coach at Yeshiva University

Yeshiva University Director of Athletics Joe Bednarsh has announced the hiring of Tony Elmore as the University's head men's soccer coach. While Elmore is new to the YU Athletics Department, he is a very familiar name among Skyline Conference soccer circles as he spent three seasons as the head women's soccer coach at fellow Skyline member Mount Saint Vincent, and was voted the 2005 Skyline Conference Coach of the Year. Elmore brings to Yeshiva more than three decades of soccer experience at every level, and his qualifications include certification at the national level. Bednarsh said that Elmore's experience, combined with his belief in the Division III philosophy made the choice a relatively easy one.

"I am thrilled to have Tony Elmore join the coaching staff at Yeshiva University, and I believe we have a head coach who will not only lead our men's soccer program to success on the field, but will also adhere to the belief that athletics should be a mechanism for education and student development, a belief that is the foundation for our athletics philosophy at Yeshiva," Bednarsh said. "What impressed me the most about Tony during the interview process was not only that he has a track record of building successful programs from the ground up, but that he really understands why it is we get involved in intercollegiate athletics. I think our student-athletes are going to have a terrific experience competing for Tony, and I am looking forward to working with Tony to build what will hopefully soon be a strong Skyline Conference program."

After decades of playing club soccer in the greater London, England area, Elmore brought his wealth of soccer knowledge to the United States and has become a fixture within the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO), earning certifications ranging from U-6 to the U-19 National Coach level. He also earned the national U-21 Diploma from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), and is a National Coach Instructor and National Instructor Trainer. Elmore is also a member of the AYSO National Coaching Commission and National Technical Committee.

Elmore's experience also includes a stint from 1999-2005 as the Director of Youth Development for the Eastern Football Club (EFC), an outstanding soccer club program serving Westchester County, New York and Fairfield County, Connecticut. While coaching seven different teams for EFC, he also conducted pre-season training programs for several area high school programs.

Elmore's journey into college soccer began in the fall of 2004 when he took over the women's soccer program at Mount Saint Vincent only days before the team's first game of the season. The Dolphins finished the season 3-10, but success was soon to follow. Only a year later, he guided MSV to a 10-7 record and the program's first-ever Hudson Valley Women's Athletic Conference (HVWAC) Tournament Championship. Elmore's squad also won its first Skyline Conference game in several years, and he was voted the Skyline Conference Coach of the Year. During the 2005 and 2006 seasons, Elmore led Mount Saint Vincent to a combined 17-15-1 record, and during his final season in 2006 the Dolphins advanced, once again, to the HVWAC finals.

Yeshiva finished the 2007 season with a 1-9 overall record and 1-8 in Skyline Conference play, the Maccabees' first season competing in the Skyline Conference. More than a dozen members of the 2007 team are expected to return for Elmore's debut in 2008.