HEAD COACH: George Fotopoulos

USSF National Goalkeeping Licensed Coach
Director of player Development (Girls)
NSCAA Premier Licensed Coach
Collegiate Coach for 10 years
USSF "A" Licensed Coach

Coach Fotopoulos brings a wealth of experience to the Hellenic, and we are so very fortunate to have him as our head coach. He was the head women’s soccer coach at the University of Tampa for two years (1998-2000) before taking the head coaching job at Louisiana State University. At LSU, he immediately made an impact, turning the 4-15-1 record from the year before he began coaching to a 15-6-0 record in his very first season there. Fotopoulos was the head coach of the of the LSU women’s soccer team from 2000-2004.

George is the only head coach the Hellenic has ever known, and has managed to put together winning squads in both of our years, coming one game away from a regional playoff berth the first year, and making the regional playoffs in only our second year. Many of our players have commented that he is the best coach they have ever played for, and that they learned more from him about playing the game of soccer than anyone else they have ever played for. Coach Fotopoulos is committed to helping each individual player achieve her goal and reach her highest potential.

He is currently the Girls’ Director of Coaching at HC United and coaches youth soccer, in addition to his duties with the Hellenic. He, along with his wife, former U.S. National Team Member and World Cup gold medallist Danielle Fotopoulos, run youth soccer camps and can be hired for individual training. www.fotopsoccer.com They have three children, Alexia, Will, and Michael.

Assistant Coach: Eric Sims

USSF C License and National D Coaching License
Goalkeeping Level II and Level I License
National Goalkeeping Diploma

We are thrilled to have Eric Sims as our goalkeeping coach, and we firmly believe that we could not find a more accomplished coach in his field to work with our keepers.

Coach Sims is in his 6th year as the goalkeeper coach for the men’s soccer team at the University of Tampa, his alma mater, where he was a four-year starter with a career record of 60-13-5. He is also the head coach for the Gaither High School (Tampa) boy’s team, a position he has held since 2001. He is a three-time Western Conference Coach of the Year (2004-06) and the 2004 FHSAA State Coach of the Year (5A). He has four times been named the head coach for the Hillsborough County vs Pinellas County Senior All-Star game.

Eric is the General Manager of the Hillsborough United Soccer Club (www.hcusoccer.com) where he coaches many youth teams, as well, and has coached his teams to many state, regional, and even two national Super Y titles.

Eric has served as the Hellenic’s goalkeeping coach since our beginning, and in 2008, our keeper, Mallori Lofton-Malachi was named the W-League Goalkeeper of the Year.

Assistant Coach: Scott Bower

USSF “B” Coaching License
Signed Pro Contract with SJ Earthquakes at age 19
Won MLS Cup with San Jose Earthquakes in 2001
U-23 National Team 1998-2000

The Hellenic are thrilled to have Scott Bower as a member of our coaching staff. Coach Bower brings so much to the team, having played five years in the MLS for the San Jose Earthquakes. He also has experience in sports performance training, where he trained many major stars of various sports, such as Derek Jeter with the New York Yankees, Craig Waibel with the Houston Dynamo, and professional tennis player, James Blake.

Scott is the owner of SB9 Soccer Training (www.sb9soccer.com) and brings all his knowledge to the players of the Hellenic. One of his students, former Hellenic player Stacy Bishop, was drafted by the Boston Breakers of the WPS and has recently signed a contract to play for the expansion team, the Atlanta Beat. She continues to train with Scott in preparation for her 2010 season. In addition to his work with SB9 and coaching the Hellenic, Coach Bower also coaches many youth teams and is the head coach for the Hillsborough High School women’s soccer team.