The PA West Soccer Speaker Series is held virtually via Webex. Our speakers will join us for a Town Hall setting to share insights and information about a variety of topics.
Upcoming Events:
Our next Town Hall Speaker Series events will be posted shortly.
Previous Town Halls
8/2/22
Mental Health With Dr Mandy Traficante

7/20/22
A Mental Game
7/12/22
Stack Team App Demo
4/20/22
Nine Legal Duties of a Coach
PA West Soccer Executive Director Tim McCoy discusses the responsibilities of every coach as set forth by case law. This look at these important requirements will help clubs and coaches be sure to properly protect their players by avoiding some approaches that are commonly used.
4/5/22
Best Practices for Club Treasurers – Protecting the Kids’ Money
PA West Soccer Treasurer Tom Beecher discussed best practices for managing club revenues and expenditures to protect the club from theft and fraud.
3-18-21
Safe Sport Town Hall
Alison Kocoras, US Soccer Safe Sport Administrator, reviewed the requirements of Safe Sport, offered examples of Safe Sport issues from prior years, and looked forward to the evolving landscape for keeping players, referees, and coaches safe.
3-16-21
Injury Prevention and Recovery Town Hall
Dave Farrah and Ryan Elsass of David Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine discussed injury prevention and injury recovery to help coaches and players prepare for the spring playing session.
3-11-21
US Soccer Connect Town Hall
Scott Garfinkel and Natalie Brown walked clubs through new features and tools that align with the state configurations and requirements. US Soccer Connect is PA West Soccer's Official Technology partner, and we appreciated the opportunity to review the benefits they offer our membership!
2-24-21
SportGait Webinar
On February 24, 2021, PA West Soccer partnered with SportGait to discuss keeping players safe.
The SportGait offers a free app to help parents understand concussion as well as where to find help when a head injury occurs during a game. They’re also introducing new features that include Covid-19 safety and streamlined baseline testing.
The Town Hall featured:
Scott Brittsan, Director of Sports Development, who moderated the discussion
Dr. Len Lecci discussed the science involved in the development and continuing research at SportGait
President and CEO Chris Newton discussed the entire platform as well as some of the new and exciting additions to SportGait
Kelly Dugan, Research and Athletics Support Specialist, demoed the features available to directors and administrators as well as the enrollment process.
2-23-21
Registrar Webinar
On February 13, 17, and 19, PA West Soccer office staff hosted a webinar for club registrars. Some of the topics covered included successfully creating risk management applications, running counts reports, creating new player applications, and more. These webinars have been edited into one comprehensive video for our members. We would like to thank everyone who participated in this event and look forward to hosting future events like this for our clubs.
To view a PDF of the PowerPoint presentation included, click here.
12-10-20
Skills for Dealing with Difficult Situations with Mike Spagnoletti
Former PA West Soccer Executive Board member Mike Spagnoletti presented “Skills for Dealing With Difficult Situations”. The topic offered insights for referees and field marshals as they encounter the occasional on-field or field-side issues that begin to grow. Mr. Spagnoletti currently teaches criminology at the collegiate level at the Community College of Allegheny County. The former Allegheny County Police officer will share insights into how to verbally de-escalate difficult situations.
7-23-2020
COVID-19 Town Hall with Dr. Florian Wiesel
Dr. Florian Wiesel, Assistant Professor of Immunology at the University of Pittsburgh, joined us for our inaugural town hall to discuss league play during the COVID-19 pandemic.