As practice winds down on Skyline Field and the boys varsity soccer team gathers their gear, one coach is already across the field, laying out cones and getting ready for his next session.
Sam Hales, an assistant coach for the boys varsity soccer team, is also the sixth-grade boys technical director, head coach of the sixth-grade boys top travel team, head coach of the sixth and seventh-grade boys New England Football Club team associated with the Brookline Soccer Club and head coach of a summer program called Summer Skills. Across all these teams, Hales is known not just for his coaching skills but for the lasting impact he has on the players he mentors.
Hales began his coaching journey with his son’s fourth-grade team before serving in the U.S. Army, where he was commissioned as a second lieutenant and started active duty in November 1991, serving until June 2013. After his military career, Hales returned to the field to coach his other son’s team and has found joy in guiding boys of all ages ever since. Hales said the most rewarding part of coaching is the time he spends with his players.
“Working with the kids, whether the kids are high schoolers or sixth graders, that’s always the very best part of coaching,” Hales said. “I also love the game. I find the beautiful game fascinating. I have never had a day coaching kids, then regretted it, not once.”
Head coach of the boys varsity soccer team, Kyle Beaulieu-Jones, first got to know Hales two years ago when he coached with the junior varsity team. When Hales joined the varsity staff last year, Beaulieu-Jones said he immediately knew Hales would be a great fit for the team.
“I think his enthusiasm is remarkable; he is incredibly dedicated,” Beaulieu-Jones said. “You see how enthusiastic he is day in and day out, regardless of what’s going on, the situation, the weather, whatever it may be.”
According to Hales, he focuses much of his energy on his younger teams, where he is most responsible for their development. He said that the varsity team is fortunate to have three other coaches who can cover for him when he’s away, and the two goalkeepers he primarily works with are already very talented. Hales said that, unlike the high school teams, which are more competitive, his youth teams are more centered on growth and learning.
“My goal for my teams in the Brookline soccer club is to create the best possible environment for players to individually grow in,” Hales said. “Whether they win or they lose is much less important than creating a culture and environment that enables those boys to thrive as players and as boys.”
Senior goalie Liam Forry officially joined the boys varsity soccer team this year, though he attended many practices last year. He first met Hales as a sophomore on the junior varsity team, where Forry said Hales spent a lot of time working with him one-on-one.
“He’s mentored me a lot, helped me become a better goalie,” Forry said. “He cares more about the players than the sport. We [the goalkeepers] have a very strong connection with him.”
Beaulieu-Jones said that even on the team’s toughest practice days, Hales always finds the silver lining, highlighting what the players did well. He said Hales focuses on what they need to improve, the next steps to take and how to keep moving forward.
“He keeps us positive at all times,” Beaulieu-Jones said. “It helps the coaching staff, it helps the players when they’re getting frustrated and it just keeps us moving in the right direction, moving in a positive direction.”
Hales said his coaching style balances support with high expectations.
“It’s a combination that they know that they’re loved, but I also have high expectations for them, which means that every time they step out on the field, they should have a little bit of comfortable nervousness that I’m going to expect more from them,” Hales said. “They should always be hungry to get better, but know that when they fail, they’re still going to be loved and supported.”
