MIAA: Why new Catholic Memorial coach Chris Bingham was drawn to the job

New Catholic Memorial head coach Chris Bingham provides instruction to IFA New England U-13 players. (Courtesy photo)

The Catholic Memorial (Mass.) boys’ soccer team finished just 1-15-2 last season, but that was part of the appeal for Chris Bingham, who was named the team’s new coach earlier this month.

"Looking at their record from last year, that was something that really excited me about applying for this job -- the potential to turn it around into a winning program," Bingham, 31, said. "And that’s something that I’ve done with IFA (Intercontinental Football Academy) with our Elite Development Squad and National Academy League programs. So, it’s sort of a tough challenge that I wanted to take on."

Bingham has been a Regional Director at IFA since 2021, and the club’s NAL teams have certainly enjoyed some recent success. Four IFA sides just made it to the NAL national semifinals in New Jersey, including the U-13 team that Bingham coaches and the U-19 team that went on to win the title.