Academy One Goalkeeping Director - Edward Brown
Edward is the founding director of Academy One Goalkeeping and one of the top developers of goalkeeping talent in North America. Academy One Goalkeeping has produced international, professional, nationally ranked collegiate and national level goalkeepers of all ages. Edward is a nationally licensed coach holding an Advanced National License from The National Soccer Coaches Association of America as well as a Level III Goalkeeping Diploma. Edward grew up in the Columbia, Maryland area where he was a member of the first Soccer Association of Columbia team to win state, regional and national titles. Despite being recruited by nationally ranked programs, Edward chose not to play college soccer due to burnout. He greatly regrets not having played college soccer, but it motivated him to help others from the same overexposure that hindered his career. He did run NCAA Division I collegiate track and coached local youth soccer while in college and that helped improve his fitness and love of the game so he was able to return to high level soccer after college. As a player, he was one of the first Americans to play at the top level of soccer in Europe (Ireland) and Africa (South Africa). After injury ended his playing career, Edward began his coaching career at the high school level in Minnesota (Bloomington Jefferson High School) and the high school (Marion Bennett High School, Muncie Central High School and Muncie Burris Laboratory School) and college level (Anderson University) in Indiana. After his return back to the DC/Maryland/Northern Virginia area, he coached such nationally ranked or prominent colleges as Johns Hopkins University, American University, the University of Delaware and George Mason University. He most recently coached at Howard University and is currently coaching at St. Mary's College of Maryland. He has coached men's professional soccer with Real Maryland FC and helped them to their only professional A-League playoff appearance and a playoff appearance as a Professional Development League team. Edward coached the Bermuda Hogges A-League Division II team. The Bermuda team was part of a development program for the Bermuda Men's National team. The Hogges goalkeepers were all national team members for Bermuda. In 2003, Edward coached the Maryland Pride women’s professional team. He has coached champion boys’ and girls’ high school teams in the Baltimore/Washington area at St. Paul's School for Girls and Our Lady of Mount Carmel. He helped lead his Baltimore Football Club, Soccer Association of Columbia, Thunder Soccer Club, Team America Premier and Gunston club teams to various tournament and league titles. He was the director of goalkeeping for the Maryland Olympic Development boys program during its two most successful years of goalkeeper development (A keeper placed in every age group in the Region I region pool). He worked for Virginia Olympic Development. He has been a goalkeeper director for the DC United Academy and the Baltimore Chelsea Bays Academy (ranked the #1 program in the country) programs, Gunston Soccer Club, Thunder Soccer Club, Team America Premier and the PWSI club, which is the largest in Virginia. With all that he has done in soccer, Edward is also an award winning film and television writer/director/editor/producer, and has worked as a full time musician and music producer. Edward lives in the DC area with his wife Erica and daughters Kari and Ava and they are actively involved in their church.
Academy One Goalkeeping Director - Nigel Burgess
Nigel is one of the best goalkeepers to ever come out of Bermuda and he is one of the most accomplished members of the Academy. Nigel was born in the Hamilton Parish section of Bermuda. He started his soccer career in the Hamilton Parish FC program. He was quickly indentified by the Bermuda Football Federation and made numerous appearances for the Bermuda Junior National team from the time he was 14 years old. He was also offered opportunities to play professionally, but chose to pursue education and college soccer at Howard University in Washington D.C. Nigel started every minute of every match in his four years at Howard. He is considered one of the best keepers in Howard University's very proud history. He ended his career leading Howard into the NCAA tournament and graduating as an honor student. After college, Nigel went back and played for Hamilton Parish and won Bermuda goalkeeper of the year while helping his team to a Bermuda Championship. He also made several appearances (Caps) for the Bermuda National team. Bermuda made their greatest World Cup showing ever in 2006 when they lost out to Coasta Rica on goal differential for the final spot in the CONCACAF qualifying group. While Nigel was doing this, he was also earning a Master's degree in Engineering from Howard University. After graduating, Nigel was hired by the Bermuda Power Company as an engineer, while still playing in the Bermuda Premier League. In 2007, Nigel joined fellow Academy One Goalkeeping professional member Jason Williams as the Bermuda Football Federation put together a team to play in the American professional USL A league. The purpose of the team was to develop the national team for World Cup play. Nigel and Jason shared starting duties while playing against some of the top talent in US Soccer. Nigel still plays for the Bermuda Hogges on the national team. He currently plays for his local team in the Bermuda Premier League. Nigel does a lot of coaching with the youth in Bermuda and runs Academy One Goalkeeping in Bermuda. Nigel also has the joyful and difficult task of helping raise his two children.
Academy One Goalkeeping Director - David Kern
Dave Kern joined the staff of Academy One in 2009, after playing for the Real Maryland Monarchs and being coached by Edward Brown. Dave is starting up the Academy One branch in Pennsylvania as well as helping the current Academy members. Dave's playing career started at Cardinal O' Hara High School in the Philadelphia Catholic League where he was a four year varsity starter and two time captain. Dave was All-Conference three years and League MVP his final year. Dave then played college soccer at Misericordia College, where he posted at 0.75 goals against average en route to the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2000. He was named his team's MVP in 2001 and 2002, earned First-Team All-Middle Atlantic Region selections in 2000 and 2002, Second-Team All-Middle Atlantic Region in 2001 and was a three-time All-PA Conference selection. Dave began his professional career in 2004 when he signed with the Harrisburg City Islanders in the USL Second Division and subsequently became the team's starting goalkeeper all four years, winning the USL 2 championship in 2007. Dave left Harrisburg to join the Baltimore Blast of the Major Indoor Soccer League, helping the team win an American Indoor Championship in 2008 and 2009. Dave did double duty playing for the Real Maryland Monarchs in the off season from the Baltimore Blast. He was primary starter for the team when it gained the only playoff appearance in the club's history. Dave has now started his coaching career. He currently coaches with such prominent Pennsylvania clubs as CASA/CAPA, the Harrisburg City Islanders Academy and the Hershey Attack. He was recently named an assistant coach for the Harrisburg City Islanders of the USL A League Division 2. Dave recently married and lives in the Central Pennsylvania area.
Academy One Goalkeeping Director - Kristin Luckenbill
Kristin Luckenbill is one of the greatest goalkeepers in United States soccer history. She brings a wealth of knowledge, professionalism and positive distinction to soccer and to life. Kristin grew up in Pennsylvania where her primary focus was skiing, as well as soccer. Kristin had a very difficult decision in her early athletic career when she had to choose to focus on either soccer or skiing. Fortunately for us, soccer won out, but to this day, Kristin remains a high level skier/snowboarder. Kristin had great success with her Conestoga High School team. She is known as one of the greatest athletes in the school's history and certainly its greatest soccer player. In her final year of high school she was named All-Conference, All-County, All-Region, All-State, Regional All-American and High School All-American. She was named Pennsylvania High School Player of the Year, as well. Kristin attended Dartmouth College, where she was a three-time NCAA All-American, four-time First Team All-Ivy League, Ivy League Rookie of the Year and Ivy League Player of the Year. Her ODP career was equally as impressive with Kristin earning a place on the Pennsylvania State team five years in a row from U15 - U19. She was a member of the Region I team from U16 - U19. She was a member of the U20 National ODP pool. During her final year of high school, Kristin played up two age groups and led her Buckingham United club team to the Pennsylvania State Championships and the Region I finals. As an older club player, Kristin was a member of the U-19 Boston Bolts team that won the Massachusetts State Championship, Region I Championship and was National Club finalists. The following year, Kristin led the Bolts to another Massachusetts State Championship. After her college career, Kristin was drafted to play for the Carolina Courage in the WUSA in 2001. She was the starting goalkeeper for the Courage for most of her tenure, winning the Founders Cup Championship in 2002, earning WUSA Goalkeeper of the Year and First-Team All-League honors and starting in the WUSA All-Star Game. She was also nominated for an ESPY Award in 2003 for "Best Female Soccer Player". She became a member of the US National Team in 2004, and won an Olympic gold medal with the team in Athens. She finished her professional soccer career in the WPS, playing one season for the Boston Breakers and the following season for Sky Blue FC. She last played professional soccer for Sky Blue FC of the Women's Professional Soccer league, located in New Jersey. Kristin totaled ten professional seasons as a player. Kristin announced her retirement from professional soccer after July, 2010, to pursue a Master's degree in Business from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. Kristin graduated from Darden - ranked in the top ten in the nation for MBA programs - in the Spring/Summer of 2012. Besides helping others develop their soccer future, Kristin is helping to improve sports and fitness in the US in her professional career. Kristin was an honor student and loves anything to do with the outdoors.
Sports Psychology Consultant - Dr. Keith Kaufman Ph.D
Dr. Keith Kaufman is a special consultant for our Academy, joining us in the Winter of 2014 to help all members be their best. Dr. Keith Kaufman is a licensed psychologist who specializes in the mental training of athletes and others who wish to improve their health and performance. He has office locations in NW Washington, DC and Old Town Alexandria, and is a Research Associate at Catholic University where he co-leads a sport psychology research team and teaches undergraduate Sport Psychology. Dr. Kaufman has co-developed an influential treatment for athletes called Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement (MSPE), and has published numerous articles on this approach. Dr. Keith grew up in Allentown, Pennsylvania and played a variety of sports, including tennis, skiing, soccer, and swimming. He also played for the club lacrosse team at UNC-Chapel Hill. Since graduate school, he has become a distance runner and completed his first marathon in 2012. Dr. Kaufman received his B.A. in both Psychology and Exercise & Sport Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he received the Patrick F. Earey Award to the outstanding senior Exercise & Sport Science major. He obtained his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Catholic University, completing his predoctoral internship at Virginia Tech where he trained under the Athletic Department’s sport psychologist and received the American College Counseling Association special commendation for meritorious service following the 2007 shootings. Dr. Kaufman is a member of the American Psychological Association and the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. He can be contacted through his website: www.MindfulCompetitor.com
