Monterey Bay F.C. Appoints Simon Dawkins As Technical Director
SEASIDE, California (Monday, December 9, 2024) – Monterey Bay Football Club (Monterey Bay F.C.) has appointed Simon Dawkins as the first Technical Director in club history. With the club since its inaugural campaign in 2022, Dawkins journey in Seaside took him through to the end of his professional playing career. Now, Dawkins is set to remain with the club as he officially begins the next chapter of his career.
“I’ve been here since nearly day one, and it has truly felt like home for me,” said Dawkins. “I really like the environment and this community. The people that I work with here every day are great, and I’m looking forward to building what is next for us – our plan to move forward as a club. I’m especially excited individually because coming from the standpoint of being a player and retiring here – it was very important to me to stay with the club. As I considered my next professional venture, it was critical for me to be somewhere where I felt very comfortable, so I’m really excited for this role because I am already familiar with the returning players and everyone here. I’m happy to work alongside Mike [DiGiulio], Jordan [Stewart], and everyone in our front office.”
Dawkins, 37, officially retired from 20 years of professional soccer this past August and took over as the assistant coach on an interim basis shortly thereafter. With the offseason fully underway, Dawkins will now hit the ground running in his new and instrumental role within the club. As the Technical Director, Dawkins will oversee the sporting side of the club, tasked with building a winning culture – a job that will require him to piece together the right characters, those with a team-first mentality first and foremost.
“I could not be happier to have Simon assume the role of the first Technical Director in club history,” said Monterey Bay F.C. President, Mike DiGiulio. “Simon exemplifies everything our club stands for. His dedication, commitment, loyalty and overall incredible drive for success is precisely what we looked for in this absolutely critical role. He fits perfectly with the organizational values of a team-first mentality. The positive energy that he and Jordan [Stewart] bring to our club each and every day is tremendous. The unity within our club has already never been higher. We can’t wait to see Simon flourish in this new role.”
The London, England native will have a crucial hand in developing the club’s overall structure from the youth ranks through to the first team, ultimately ensuring that everyone from the coaching staff to the players is pushing in the right, positive direction. Striving to strengthen the connection between the youth teams in the tri-county area and Monterey Bay’s development program, Dawkins believes the recipe for sustained success lies in pushing the club’s young players to be great and helping them earn opportunities as early as possible. Dawkins will also play a large role in the construction of the first team roster – focusing on players that will not only put the club first, but those who want to get to the next level and will do whatever it takes to win once they step out onto the pitch.
“My main goal is to create a winning mentality here,” continued Dawkins. “I fully understand that it’s not realistic to win every single game, but as long as you have a structure and a winning mentality in place, you can build on that. Get the right type of players in, and you’re eventually going to see success on the field. We want to make this a place where everybody wants to be on Saturday night. A place to see exciting results with exciting players on the field. If we can do that, then for me, that is altogether a job done.”
