Podcast: Berkshire’s Tony Amolo on the program’s return to success

Berkshire boys soccer coach Tony Amolo joined 'The Goal' podcast. (Courtesy photo)

The latest guest on New England Soccer Journal’s “The Goal” podcast is Berkshire School boys soccer coach Tony Amolo.

In his first season as head coach at Berkshire in 2022, Amolo led the Bears to a final record of 14-3-2 and a trip to the NEPSAC Class A quarterfinals. Berkshire rediscovered the winning ways that led the program to Class A titles in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2018.

Amolo, originally from Nigeria, was a graduate of Berkshire’s Class of 2013 and took over the soccer program after five successful years as the assistant varsity boys coach. Prior to returning to his alma mater, Amolo played for the Kenyon College men’s soccer team and helped them become a perennial top-10 team. As a player, he amassed a career total of 121 points (50 goals and 21 assists). Following his collegiate career, Amolo played in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) and the United Soccer League 2.

He joined host Matt Langone to discuss the Berkshire program and why the Sheffield, Mass. school is a powerhouse.

The full podcast can be accessed below and is available on all major platforms. If you enjoy it, please leave a rating and a review.

Here are some highlights from our discussion with Amolo.

On the success of the 2022 season:

Amolo: “Firstly, I would say the players. We brought a good group of players in and they bought into the philosophy of the team, the culture and also the coaching staff. There are a lot of things I outlined that we were trying to accomplish and wanted to provide for the kids — the experience, also learning and understanding the game and not just playing. So, we went down to the little details, and that was phenomenal.”

On his team culture:

Amolo: “We live by a simple motto: take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves. That’s right from the locker room and their locker spaces to how they give back to the community, what they do. Like, we have a nice dining hall, it’s clean. They’re part of the folks who help out to clean the dining hall after the kids are done. It’s holding them accountable, how to communicate those little things. I think teaching them how to take care of those little things and balancing their lives.”

On what makes Berkshire stand out amongst other great New England schools:

Amolo: “I think it would be the balance between academics and athletics — what we offer to our kids. It’s probably similar to other schools, but I think outside of the soccer aspect of it we have certain programs we offer to our kids that they have an opportunity to be a part of. … We have alums come back and teach fantastic courses to help stimulate our kids. Not the physics or the chemistry, but other courses that would help them learn more about the world, learn more about themselves.”

On the hardest part about getting acclimated to life at Berkshire after coming over from Nigeria:

Amolo: “There were a ton of difficult parts. I think the social piece was a lot. The academic piece was a lot. I think most international kids would attest that the social piece is different from the academic piece. I think I was lucky to be in an environment where the teachers were willing to help and support me, that was a key factor that really helped me out. The advisor connection and the support from the school overall.”

The Goal” podcast is brought to you by the New England Revolution and Soccerheads New England.

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