The Utah Royals made another step in filling out their coaching staff Monday, announcing that the new NWSL team has hired former Scott Parkinson as an assistant coach.
The Royals coaching staff now consists of Parkinson, former women’s soccer coach at Rogers State University in Oklahoma, and two-time NWSL Coach of the Year Laura Harvey.
“When Laura Harvey calls you and makes you a job offer to work alongside her, it’s something that anybody in the game would not turn down,” Parkinson said in a team release. “Seeing the excitement from [RSL owner] Dell Loy Hansen and [general manager] Craig Waibel and the growth of Real Salt Lake, this represents a dream opportunity for me. It was a no-brainer; it’s absolutely brilliant. I cannot wait to get started.”
Parkinson won Heartland Conference Coach of the Year this past season after leading his Rogers State (Okla.) team to a13-3-2 record and the Hillcats’ first conference tournament appearance. His team set program records for fewest goals conceded in a season (12) and most shutouts in a season (11). It was a drastic turnaround from the previous year, Parkinson’s first at the helm, in which Rogers State won just six matches.
Parkinson also served as an assistant on the Rogers State men’s side for two years, an assistant for the Oklahoma Wesleyan University men’s soccer team and Director of Soccer Operations for Oklahoma City FC, a former member of the Premier Development League.
Harvey said she met Parkinson, a Liverpool, England native, at a stateside coaching license course years ago. She has followed his career since.
“Scott sees the game in a similar way to me, he is knowledgeable about the women’s game, and knows what I’m looking for in teams I coach,” Harvey said in a team release. “He is a hard worker who will give everything to make this club the best it can be.”
The team also announced that season tickets are now available to the general public, after initially being reserved for Real Salt Lake season ticket holders and those who filled out an early interest form. With RSL season ticket-holders alone, the Royals have surpassed 1,000 season tickets sales in the past week, per Royals communications. The team expects to reach roughly 3,000 after adding those who expressed an early interest.