Sarah Lowdon - 'I coach the person first, player second'

Sarah Lowdon doesn’t do things by halves.

When Becky Burleigh - her leader for a number of years at the Florida Gators - announced her retirement, rather than buying her a gift, Sarah wrote her a book about what she had learned from her.

Over the years, Sarah has tried to take on as much knowledge as possible in order to have a sustainable career in the game.

She has the USSF A License and USC Premier Diploma, is an NSCA certified strength and conditioning specialist, an athlete development specialist and has two Masters degrees - in Exercise Physiology and Health Promotion and in Sport Management.

Her roles in soccer have included assistant coach at Houston Dash and Penn State University, various roles under Burleigh at the Gators, and state coach at South Texas Youth Soccer Association.

Sarah has come a long way, and a lot of miles, since she started kicking a ball as a young girl on the streets of her hometown, Newcastle, in the north east of England.

SCW caught up with her to ask about her somewhat unconventional career path…