OJC Women's Soccer News

Donny Ribaudo, Sacramento, Calif., has been named the new Otero Junior College women’s soccer coach. An assistant coach at California State University, Chico, Ribaudo comes to OJC with a lengthy resume of accomplishment as both a player and coach, and has a definite plan in mind to fill the inaugural roster with players who want to be part of creating a competitive women’s soccer program.

A Strategy for Success

Having played soccer as a youth and into his high school years; Ribaudo continued his soccer career as a member of the team for Chico State, where he was recognized as an All CCAA player.

He also played for the California Gold in a professional league and was a member of the Chico Rooks team from 2003-2006; winning the USASA National Championship in 2004.

While earning his soccer credentials on the field at Chico State, Ribaudo also earned a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in kinesiology from the college. Upon graduation, he began teaching for the kinesiology department for Chico State, as well as working as the assistant men’s coach for the Chico State Wildcats. During the five years he served as an assistant coach, his teams made two NCAA tournament appearances, making it to the Elite Eight in 2010 and into the first round in 2011. His teams have also won two CCAA North Division titles.

His coaching experience also extends to a head coaching position for the past four years with the Butte United Soccer Club, that includes both boys and girls teams.

Ribaudo arrived at OJC with a good idea about how to build a program from the ground up. “When I became an assistant at CSU-Chico, our task was to completely rebuild the men’s program. In a short amount of time we did just that; rebuilding that program into a national contender. I’ve experienced all facets of building and managing a program from recruiting, fundraising, managing players, managing staff and conducting training sessions and camps,” he explained.

Ribaudo said his goal has always been to be a head coach, and feels confident that his prior experiences have prepared him to take on the challenge of stepping into a first-year program.

Ribaudo’s recruiting strategy will start with spreading the word with Colorado high school programs and youth soccer clubs. He also plans to attend some showcase tournaments in Phoenix and Las Vegas this spring.

“Colorado will be my primary area of recruitment; however, I’ll be looking at players from some of the surrounding states and tapping into my contacts in California as well,” he said.

Ribaudo said he plans on keeping the number of recruits to a manageable number. “I’m not planning on recruiting a large inaugural team; I want to make sure all the new recruits feel like they are part of the team and have a key role in building the program,” he said.

“I plan to create a competitive environment where our young players can develop. This includes academic development and leadership skills to prepare them for the four-year university or the career of their choice,” Ribuado explained.