The Dayton Dutch Lions FC are proud to announce Marcus Rixon as the new Director of Coaching for the club. He will also serve as the Head Coach of the Men's PDL team.
Rixon was born in Portsmouth, England and has a rich heritage of soccer ~ both playing and coaching. He holds the UEFA B license and has worked with players of all ages. He earned a BA degree in Sport Science and Education from Canterbury Christ University College as well as gaining his Certificate in Education from Portsmouth University.
He started his coaching career in 1996 with the Basingstoke College men's squad. During his five years at Basingstoke, he launched the women's program, increased recruitment and created an Academy partnership with Basingstoke Town FC. Over the next 14 years, he served as youth coach, technical director and national coach with multiple prestigous colleges and clubs; South Downs College, Horndean FC club, Chelsea FC Ladies Academy and Eastleigh FC achieving levels of success that continued his rise within the profession.
As a youth, he played within the Portsmouth FC till the age of 16 when he fell short of inking a professional contract.
His desire to see the world pushed him to apply for the foreign exchange program where he spent two years in Springfield, Ohio in 1988-89. He played two seasons for his newly formed high school team the Northeastern Jets.
Upon returning home to England, he continued playing soccer and started to earn his coaching licenses as well. He completed the FA Level 1 and Level 2 certifications and then earned the UEFA B license.
As luck would have it, Marcus rekindled a high school friendship on FaceBook in 2013. This led to Marcus visiting the Springfield area several times and moving permanently in July, 2015. This friendship, of course, had blossomed and Marcus married his wife Anja later that year. They currently live in Columbus.
He has two children, Morgan 13 and Harvey 10, who live in England with their mum.
While in Columbus, Marcus has been an Academy Coach with the Classic Eagles SC. He coached the U10 Development, U11 Academy, U12 Academy and U13 Development teams. He has been part of many tournament championships and he was a trainer with the 2016 U12 State Cup champions.
Club Director, Ric Campbell shared, "Coach Rixon's soccer experience and knowledge, along with his maturity and people skills, make him an ideal choice for our club. I am glad that we took the time to find what I believe will be a top level director and coach who will care about the players, their development and the growth of our club. His first official day will be March 1st and I expect him to hit the ground running. I ask that all of you please give Marcus a big ORANGE FAMILY welcome."