Coach Stephen Lyons enters his seventh year as head coach for the men’s soccer team at Tennessee Wesleyan College.
In the previous 6 seasons he has guided the team to 2 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) regular season titles, 1 AAC tournament conference championship and 1 NAIA National Tournament appearance. In 2011 TWC received their highest ranking nationally, reaching 24th in the Nation. The team has been recognized athletically and academically throughout conference, region and at the national level.
During his tenure he has had 15 AAC first team all-conference players and 2 freshman players of the year. In the past four seasons TWC’s overall record is 46-22-8 with a winning percentage of 66%, and their AAC record is 24-4-3 with an 82% winning percentage. Many current and former players have represented teams in the Premier Development League (PDL) and National Premier Soccer League (NPSL).
Coach Lyons is originally from Middlesbrough, England and is a TWC graduate having played from 1998-2002. Lyons graduated from TWC with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business. He was the captain of the team that went to the National Tournament in 2001. As a player Coach Lyons has been recognized with awards for All Conference, All Region and All-American. He went on to play two seasons in the New Zealand National League. Following his stint in New Zealand he returned to England to coach at Middlesbrough F.C’s Youth Academy who were under the umbrella of the senior team, a premier league outfit managed by ex-England manager Steve McClaren.
Prior to his return, Lyons was graduate assistant coach for both men’s and women’s teams at the University of Saint Mary (Kansas) from 2006-08 where he received his MBA.
He holds the UEFA “B” license and the USSF “C” license. Coach Lyons was head coach of the Knoxville Force NPSL Team and holds the clubs highest winning percentage in the clubs history. He also coaches with the Tennessee State Olympic Development Program.