KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Western Michigan Division of Intercollegiate Athletics announced on Friday, Jan. 30, 2009, the hiring of Stu Riddle as the sixth head coach of the Bronco men's soccer program. Riddle brings various levels of coaching experience to WMU, having previously served as an assistant coach at Fairfield University, the University of Southern Indiana and the University of Evansville. He has also coached locally, serving as the head coach of the Kalamazoo Outrage and the Kalamazoo Kingdom Club Premier Development League (PDL) teams.

“During our search for a head coach of men's soccer at Western Michigan University, we knew we wanted to find someone that shared our vision of success on and off the field for our student-athletes. We have found that with Stu Riddle. We are extremely excited to welcome Coach Riddle into the Bronco family and back to the Kalamazoo community,” commented athletic director Kathy Beauregard.

In just one season with Fairfield University, Riddle helped lead the Stags to the NCAA Tournament after defeating previously unbeaten No. 6 Loyola College in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championship. Prior to joining the Stags coaching staff, Riddle, who was born in Luton, England but was raised in Wellington, New Zealand, accepted the challenge of developing the Kalamazoo Outrage soccer program with its first season of competition coming that summer.

The Outrage finished their 2008 campaign with a 10-7-2 record beating perennial PDL powerhouses the Michigan Bucks and Chicago Fire in the PDL playoffs before losing to eventual national champion Thunder Bay Chill in the Elite 8 of the competition. He also established a partnership with English club Sheffield Wednesday that allowed players and staff from both clubs to integrate for the benefit of both programs. Riddle maintains his relationship with the Sheffield Wednesday coaching staff and has twice visited the famed club to assess training methods and the development of their top players.

Riddle served as the assistant coach for the University of Southern Indiana during the 2007 campaign after spending two seasons at the University of Evansville serving the same capacity. His coaching resume also includes time as head coach for the Kalamazoo Kingdom PDL side in 2006 where current LA Galaxy MLS midfielder Josh Tudela and 2006 National High School Player of the Year Eric Alexander spent a season playing under Riddle's tutelage. The Kingdom became only the second team to defeat the Chicago Fire at home in six seasons of play when they battled to a 2-0 win in Chicago in May 2006.

“I am absolutely ecstatic to return to the West Michigan area and to be the head coach of the men's soccer program at Western Michigan University. I am familiar with players in the area having worked in the PDL in Kalamazoo and I can't wait to get started,” commented Riddle. “We know we have a huge challenge ahead of us and it is a challenge I am anxious to tackle. We need to evaluate our student-athletes to see where we can improve from last season in order to get the best results for this program.”

As a player Riddle played collegiately at Coastal Carolina University where he was twice named team MVP and was an all Big South Conference team member in 1997 and 1998. Riddle signed with New Zealand's first ever professional soccer team the Football Kingz in 1999 where he played with Oceania Player of the Century Wynton Rufer and with current San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) Assistant Coach Jason Batty. Riddle went on to play professionally in England with Oxford City, Scotland with Greenock Morton and in Australia with Altona Magic. While at Greenock Morton, Riddle was coached by European Cup winner and former Liverpool and Scotland national team star Peter Cormack. He also played in the United States with the Des Moines Menace and West Michigan Edge in the PDL. As a youth player Riddle played alongside Harvard University Head Coach Jamie Clark for Western Suburbs FC as a guest player in New Zealand's national under-19 tournament in which he was one of three nominations for Player of the Tournament.

Riddle made his international debut for the New Zealand Olympic All Whites in January 1996, appearing in a 2-0 victory over the Solomon Islands. He went on to play in four national team games under current University of Notre Dame Head Coach Bobby Clark, highlighted by an appearance in a 1-0 victory over arch rivals Australia in Adelaide.

Riddle holds an NSCAA National Diploma and is a contributing writer for Soccer International magazine and has had articles published with www.tribalfootball.com. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education from Coastal Carolina University and a Master of Science in Public Administration from the University of Evansville.

Western Michigan men's soccer finished the 2008 campaign with a record of 3-15-1 and 2-4-0 in the Mid-American Conference. The Broncos, seeded fifth in the 2008 MAC Tournament, fell to fourth-seeded Hartwick, 0-4, in the tournament quarterfinals.

Coach Riddle's Bio