Sam Laity

Sam James Laity (born 3 July 1976) is an English football manager who was most recently the head coach of Houston Dash in the American National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). He was previously an assistant coach for fellow American team OL Reign, where he also served as interim coach for a period in 2021.^[4][5][6][7]

Sam Laity

Personal information
Full name	Sam James Laity[1]
Date of birth	(1976-07-03) 3 July 1976 (age 48)[2][1]
Place of birth	Plymouth, England[3]
Managerial career
Years	Team
2013–2022	OL Reign (assistant)
2021	OL Reign (interim)
2022–2023	Houston Dash

Early life

Laity attended university in Plymouth, England, where he began coaching girls' school programs for the Devon County Football Association. After completing his studies, Laity moved to the United States to continue his work in the sport. He worked as a coach for Seattle-area youth clubs Dos FC, Westsound FC, and Pacific Premier, was director of the Pacific Northwest Soccer Club in Tukwila, Washington, and worked as a regional staff instructor and coaching education and licensing coordinator for the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.^[3][8]

Managerial career

OL Reign (assistant and interim), 2013–2022

Laity was an assistant coach for Seattle Reign FC, later renamed to Reign FC and OL Reign, from its inaugural season in 2013^[9] until 2022.^[6] During his tenure, he was an assistant to Laura Harvey, Vlatko Andonovski, and Farid Benstiti, and served as interim coach for six matches after Benstiti's resignation during the 2021 season. He was also a coach in the Reign's academy system from its incorporation in 2016 to 2019.^[8][10]

Houston Dash, 2022–

On 21 December 2022, NWSL club Houston Dash hired Laity as head coach.^[6] On 6 September 2023, the Dash fired Laity.^[7]

Managerial statistics

As of 14 April 2023

Managerial record by team and tenure

Team	From	To	Record					Ref.
			P	W	D	L	Win %
OL Reign (interim)	2 July 2021	8 August 2021	6	4	0	2	066.7	[11]
Houston Dash	26 March 2023	6 September 2023	24	6	8	10	025.0	[12]
Total			30	10	8	12	033.3

Personal life

Laity is a fan of architecture and especially admires the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri, and structures in Boston, Massachusetts.^[8]

References

1. "Index entry". FreeBMD. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
2. OL Reign [@OLReign] (3 July 2017). "Join us in wishing a very happy birthday to Reign FC assistant coach Sam Laity!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 7 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022 – via Twitter.
3. soundermom (22 February 2013). "Seattle Women's Soccer Round-up". Sounder at Heart. Archived from the original on 7 January 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
4. "Houston Dash name Sam Laity as head coach" (Press release). Houston Dynamo FC.
5. "Thank You, Sam Laity" (Press release). OL Reign. 21 December 2022.
6. "Houston Dash hire former Reigh assistant Sam Laity as head coach". ESPN. Reuters. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
7. "Houston Dash part ways with head coach" (Press release). Houston Dynamo. 6 September 2023. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
8. Rantz, Susie (22 February 2022). "Sam Laity no longer is OL Reign's best-kept secret". Sounder at Heart. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
9. Kassouf, Jeff (12 April 2013). "For Reign, first kick a chance to start fresh". The Equalizer. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
10. Rantz, Susie (14 January 2016). "Seattle Reign launch Academy system". Sounder at Heart. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
11. Cristobal, Jacob (15 July 2021). "Laura Harvey returns as head coach of OL Reign". Sounder At Heart. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
12. "2023 Houston Dash Stats (NWSL)". FBRef. Retrieved 6 September 2023.

External links

• Sam Laity on LinkedIn