Jason Kilby Reviews

Playing for Coach Kilby at the University of Mary Washington changed my life for the better. Coach Kilby was by no means a perfect soccer coach; however, no coach is perfect. Coach Kilby was honest, fair, and direct with his decisions about players. More importantly, he truly does care about the well-being of his boys. College soccer is not for the faint of heart. It truly is a 4-year process of ups and downs. There will be injuries, troubles with school, problems with social life, frustration with a lack of playing time, etc. and as a 18-22 year old, it is easy to pass the blame when things aren't going your way. The players I saw who completed 4 full years and graduated from the UMW Soccer Program were hardworking, resilient, humble, and never passed the blame (often times when it wasn't even their blame to take). If Coach Kilby benched them, they accepted it, embraced their new role, and elevated the team elsewhere because they knew there was a purpose behind his decision. On every team, people need to add value somehow. The best, and most enjoyable, way to do that is to be the 'Star Player', scoring all the goals and winning all the personal accolades. But, if that's not you, then you may be a reserve player or injured player and need to add value some other way. Is it fun being the one filling up water bottles? No. But that doesn't mean it's not important. At the end of the day, it's Division 3 soccer. Nobody is going to make a living playing professionally after their college career. The experience is 'soccer' yes, but what Coach Kilby ultimately gave me was an opportunity to grow into a man. If you are a high level club player and want to have a "fun" college experience while also simply playing soccer, I would recommend attending a larger school where you can do that more leisurely (club team) along with having the traditional college experience (Fraternities, College Football, Big parties, etc.). But, if you are a high level club player who is looking for the most rewarding experience of your life, wants to develop enduring relationships, and is willing to challenge yourself regardless of how many minutes you play on the pitch, go play for Coach Kilby. I'd do it all over again.

He knows what you want to hear to keep you on the team. His sessions are rarely ran by himself and the sessions that he does take a big part in aren’t the best quality. He is a brilliant salesman, but without the amazing captains this team has had there would be no leaders.

Jason Kilby is a good recruiting coach and his skills end there. Beware. He will recruit you knowing he doesn't think you can ever make the first team and use you as a practice player to make his top 18 better. His asst coaches often lead games and practices. He runs the same tired set pieces that don't work. Most important, you will not improve by playing under Kilby. If you played for a premier travel club with a knowledgeable coach, you will be very disappointed.

COViD was a challenging time for athletes and the coach missed an opportunity to support them. There was no effort to keep them engaged, motivated and positive. Not sure the coach has the knowledge we expected. Ran multiple plays that didn’t work, EVER (corner kick play) and didn’t ask leaders of the team to problem solve. The assistant coaches were miserable and confirmed an utter demotivating environment. No explanation or communication on why kids don’t play or are taken out of lineup. This wasn’t the experience my son signed up for. Told us a much different story when recruited.

Coach Kilby is a great recruiter. He will tell you anything to get you to join the team. However once you get to the team, the dynamic quickly changes. If you don’t make an impact freshmen year or if he doesn’t like you, your chances of playing are near impossible. You’re travel team soccer style is no more. Without good leaders, the team can crumble under his method of coaching. Lacks player management and communication - unless he likes you.

Coach Kilby is a great recruiter. He puts out all the stops and tells you what you want to hear when it comes to recruiting. He relies on the players to build the foundation of the team so if there aren't good leaders then the culture won't remain at a high standard. He has been successful due to his ability to recruit to his school. Think about the importance of playing your freshman year because it will be hard to break into the team.