Great coaches, like great teachers, can have a life-changing positive impact on a young person. Milton Academy coaches focus not only on athletic excellence but the development of players as students and community members.
One such coach is Chris Kane, head coach of Milton’s boys’ varsity soccer team, who has built a culture of development, positivity, inclusivity, and family—with great results. Coach Kane was named by the New England Soccer Journal as the Boys’ Prep Coach of the Year in its 2023 champions issue. He “did a masterful job preparing his squad throughout a season that resulted in a NEPSAC Class A championship, an Independent School League title, and a record of 19–1–2,” the journal wrote. Since 2011, his first year as head coach, Kane’s Mustangs have won four ISL championships and two NEPSAC Class A championships, had five undefeated regular seasons, and qualified for the Class A tournament every single year.
Coach Kane, who is also the director of financial aid in Milton’s Admission Office, says that the personal development of players throughout their years on the team means more to him than wins and losses. “We try to frame our accomplishments around growth and improvement rather than outcomes and end points,” he told Milton Magazine in 2022. “We use soccer as a means for development, professionalism, commitment to the collective group, honesty about strengths and weaknesses, and thoughtful planning as you seek to improve. Those are the qualities that I think are most essential to success in soccer but are even more beautifully key factors for success in other parts of life.”
