Great Lakes Christian College and Great Lakes Christian College Crusader Athletic Department is pleased to announce Ian Kurth as the next Head Men's Soccer Coach. The program was suspended for the 2018 season, but will be back on the pitch in 2019. Director of Athletics Richard Westerlund said, "The main reason we took a step back from soccer in 2018 was to be able to find a coach like Coach Kurth and give him the time and resources to be able to build a solid foundation for the year to come." Westerlund also said, "Coach Kurth and I had many conversations about the position and with each conversation I felt he would be a tremendous fit for our college. He's dedicated to developing his student-athletes, he has a passion for the game of soccer, and he is a proven recruiter. I know our soccer program is in good hands with Coach Ian Kurth."
Coach Kurth grew up in St. Johns and played club soccer in the Lansing area during his youth. Kurth comes to GLCC after successful coaching experiences at the collegiate and youth levels. He served as an assistant coach with the Alma College men's program from 2011 – 2015 helping the Scots back to their first winning season in over 13 years in 2013. Kurth handled all many responsibilities at Alma College as the assistant. He excelled in his work with the Reserve team and recruiting. He also has over 5 years of experience coaching youth players in Michigan with youth clubs Michigan Rush Jackson (2013 – 2016) and currently for Michigan Chill SBC.
A 2011 graduate from Alma College, Kurth earned his bachelor of arts in mathematics and history. He was a two-year starter and four-year player for the Scots from 2007 – 2010. He holds several coaching certifications most recently obtaining his USSF "C" license in 2017 and his USC Goalkeeping Lv. 3 certification in 2018. He is currently pursuing his MBA in strategic leadership with an anticipated graduation of July 2019.
Kurth currently lives in Mason and work full time as a Manufacturing Supervisor for a specialty chemical company based in Howell.
Kurth said this about being named the Head Men's Soccer Coach, "I am thrilled that GLCC has given me the opportunity to rebuild its men's soccer program. Many challenges await but with the support of the administration, students, and alumni I am confident we will build a successful program." Kurth added about the type of program he expects to have at GLCC, "I am looking to build an offensively geared program that uses a combination of possession and dynamic counter attacks to score goals. We will be well-organized defensively enabling our attacker's freedom to create scoring opportunities in the final third."
Director of Athletics Richard Westerlund on Coach Kurth, "We are super excited to welcome Coach Kurth to the GLCC family. Ian is someone that we believe will be able to reestablish our men's soccer program and build our program into something special. He understood the task at hand and has been eager to take on this challenge. His experience competing and coaching at a quality DIII program like Alma College I believe will serve him well as he builds our men's soccer program. In addition Coach Kurth has been coaching at local soccer clubs the last five years and he has built many strong relationships with the local prospects which I believe will allow us to hit the ground running. Today is an exciting day for Crusader Athletics. I am excited to see where our men's soccer program goes from here."