Tacoma Stars pick legend Joey Waters as new head coach

The Tacoma Stars of the Professional Arena Soccer League today announce that they have gone “back to the future” by hiring one of the most-loved Stars players from their MISL era, Joey Waters. See the club release below.

TACOMA, Wash.—We are pleased to announce “Jumpin” Joey Waters as the new head coach for the Tacoma Stars. Waters hails from Limerick, Ireland where he first began playing soccer as a youth.

Throughout his career in the pros he played for teams in Ireland and the U.K. In 1984 Waters came to the United States and began playing for the original Tacoma Stars Major Indoor Soccer League team until he retired in 1992.

As his playing career began to wind down, Waters acted as assistant coach to the Tacoma Stars before heading off to coach high school and college level soccer at Bellermine Preparatory School, Gig Harbor High School and Pacific Lutheran University. With Waters’ strong ties to Tacoma and a successful career as both player and coach, owner of the Tacoma Stars Marian Bowers, thought it only natural to bring him on board.

Bowers has spent the last five years working to develop and revive professional men’s indoor soccer in Tacoma. In 2010 the Stars took the PASL premier national championship title. In 2011, the team’s first year back in the pros, they made it to the playoffs. Bowers says, “The addition of Joey Waters as coach brings an elevated level of professionalism to the team, which will no doubt equal a trip back to the playoffs and hopefully the 2013 championship title.”

The Tacoma Stars will play the 2012/2013 season in their new home at Pacific Sports Center located at 2645 S. 80th Street in Tacoma. Construction on the 50,000 square foot indoor sports facility was completed in April of 2012. In addition to her commitment to the Tacoma Stars, Bowers is equally focused on providing a clean, safe, state-of-the-art facility for players of all levels and multiple sports.

Waters and his Tacoma Stars will begin game play in November. Fans can expect to see a game schedule in mid-October along with opportunities for the purchase of advance and season tickets.