Mick Hoban
Encyclopedia
Michael “Mick” Hoban is an English-U.S. soccer midfielder
who began his career with Aston Villa in 1969 before moving to the North American Soccer League
in 1971. He earned one cap with the U.S. national team
in 1973.
As a schoolboy Hoban played for Brierley Hill & Dudley Schoolboys' teams, Staffordshire Schools, and, eventually, the England Schoolboys U19 team for two seasons. He was appointed England Schoolboys Captain in his final year with the team.
In 1969, he played with English first division club Aston Villa as a youth player. In 1970, he signed as a professional with AVFC. Mick debuted in Aston Villa's first team in an international friendly against Santos (Brazil) and was fortunate enough to be presented with Pele's jersey following the match. He was in the first team squad for other international friendlies against Gornik Zabrze(Poland) and FC Bayern Munich (Germany). He was substitute for Aston Villa for games against Port Vale and Fulham FC in the former English 3rd Division. He was loaned out to the Atlanta Chiefs during the summer of 1971 and, thus, started his career in the US.
of the North American Soccer League
during that season the Chiefs reached the final of the NASL championship and Hoban received an 'honorable mention' in the All-Star selection. In 1973, the Chiefs were sold to Omni Corporation (owners of the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA and the Atlanta Flames in the NHL)who renamed them the Atlanta Apollos. During his time with the Atlanta Apollos served as team captain and 'Business Manager'. At the end of the 1973 season, Hoban moved to the expansion Denver Dynamos
for the 1974 season. Similarly, in Denver Hoban worked as the Director Of Community Relations and served for part of the season as the team captain. In 1975, he was the first player signed by the expansion Portland Timbers
http://www.oregonlive.com/timbers/index.ssf?/timbers/oregonian/sp_41socc25.frame . As he had with both of his other NASL teams, Hoban served as the Timbers Director of Community Relations. In 1978 he resigned his position with the Portland Timbers to accept the opportunity to start Nike's soccer program. Consequently, he became Nike
's first-ever soccer employee in his position as Soccer Promotions Manager for the Beaverton, Oregon-based company.
in a 2-0 win over Canada
on August 5, 1973.http://www.rsssf.com/tablesu/usa-intres-det70.html
Hoban joined fellow Atlanta Chiefs team-mate and NASL All-Star, Paul Childs on the USMNT.
Their participation drew much attention in the British press given their UK citizenship.
Hoban was an assistant coach in 1978 to former Timbers public relations director Dennis O'Meara for the University of Portland
men’s soccer team.
During his business career in the sporting goods industry he also served as Head Coach for Lake Oswego Soccer Club (Lake Oswego, OR) and St. Giles Soccer Club (Greenville, SC).
Hoban served as a Staff Coach for the Oregon Youth Soccer Association and was instrumental, along with 3 other coaches in Oregon, in conducting the first US Soccer licensed courses in Oregon.
While with Nike, Hoban formed the 'Oregon Soccer Coaches Association - OSCA' and arranged for various Nike partner's to conduct coaching sessions for members of 'OSCA'including representatives from Manchester United.
Since his retirement as a professional player Hoban has coached an amateur soccer team in Portland, Oregon and led them to championships at every level of the amateur game - 'Open, Over-30s, Over-40s' and numerous local amateur cup competitions.
Hoban became Nike International's first-ever European Soccer Promotions Manager and in this position he was responsible for coordinating contracts with some of Europe's leading players at the time including Glenn Hoddle, Ian Rush, Mark Hateley, Steve Nichol, Steve Archibald, Charlie Nichoas, Arnold Muhren, Dossena and Nike's first ever successful footwear contract with Aston Villa, who became champions of Europe wearing Nike footwear in 1982.
He joined Umbro USA in the late 1980s and became Vice President of Soccer Promotions for the Greenville, SC based company. In this capacity he was instrumental in signing the first-ever women's soccer endorsement with Michelle Akers of the US Women's National Team.
Following his time with Umbro he left to become a soccer sports marketing consultant and in 2000 formed Soccer Solutions with a former co-worker from Umbro, Warren Mersereau. Hoban and Mersereau were joined later that year by a 3rd partner - Juergen Klinsmann.
While with Soccer Solutions, the partners worked with leading brands such as Coca-Cola, ING, McDonald's and adidas. In connection with Klinsmann's endorsement contract Soccer Solutions worked closely with MasterCard and Hyundai.
In November, 2010 Hoban left Soccer Solutions to assume his previous role as an independent contractor working in soccer sports marketing and maintains a working relationship with his former partners and clients including adidas International.
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
who began his career with Aston Villa in 1969 before moving to the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
in 1971. He earned one cap with the U.S. national team
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
in 1973.
England
Hoban attended St. Chad's College in Wolverhampton.As a schoolboy Hoban played for Brierley Hill & Dudley Schoolboys' teams, Staffordshire Schools, and, eventually, the England Schoolboys U19 team for two seasons. He was appointed England Schoolboys Captain in his final year with the team.
In 1969, he played with English first division club Aston Villa as a youth player. In 1970, he signed as a professional with AVFC. Mick debuted in Aston Villa's first team in an international friendly against Santos (Brazil) and was fortunate enough to be presented with Pele's jersey following the match. He was in the first team squad for other international friendlies against Gornik Zabrze(Poland) and FC Bayern Munich (Germany). He was substitute for Aston Villa for games against Port Vale and Fulham FC in the former English 3rd Division. He was loaned out to the Atlanta Chiefs during the summer of 1971 and, thus, started his career in the US.
United States
In 1971, Hoban played for the Atlanta ChiefsAtlanta Chiefs
The Atlanta Chiefs were a soccer team based in Atlanta, Georgia that played in the NPSL and NASL from 1967 to 1972. Their home fields were Atlanta Stadium and Tara Stadium . The club was the brainchild of Dick Cecil, then Vice President of the Atlanta Braves baseball franchise who were the Chiefs'...
of the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
during that season the Chiefs reached the final of the NASL championship and Hoban received an 'honorable mention' in the All-Star selection. In 1973, the Chiefs were sold to Omni Corporation (owners of the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA and the Atlanta Flames in the NHL)who renamed them the Atlanta Apollos. During his time with the Atlanta Apollos served as team captain and 'Business Manager'. At the end of the 1973 season, Hoban moved to the expansion Denver Dynamos
Denver Dynamos
The Denver Dynamos were a soccer team based out of Denver that played in the NASL from 1974 to 1975.Their home field was Mile High Stadium. After the 1975 season, they moved to Minnesota and became the Minnesota Kicks.-Year-by-year:...
for the 1974 season. Similarly, in Denver Hoban worked as the Director Of Community Relations and served for part of the season as the team captain. In 1975, he was the first player signed by the expansion Portland Timbers
Portland Timbers (NASL)
The Portland Timbers were a team in the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1982. The name has been used by two other soccer franchises: the Timbers of the WSA/APSL, Portland Timbers of the USL and the current team which began play as part of Major League Soccer in 2011.-History:In January...
http://www.oregonlive.com/timbers/index.ssf?/timbers/oregonian/sp_41socc25.frame . As he had with both of his other NASL teams, Hoban served as the Timbers Director of Community Relations. In 1978 he resigned his position with the Portland Timbers to accept the opportunity to start Nike's soccer program. Consequently, he became Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
's first-ever soccer employee in his position as Soccer Promotions Manager for the Beaverton, Oregon-based company.
U.S. National team
Hoban earned one cap with the U.S. national teamUnited States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
in a 2-0 win over Canada
Canada men's national soccer team
The Canada men's national soccer team represents Canada in international soccer competitions at the senior men's level. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association and compete in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football .Their most significant...
on August 5, 1973.http://www.rsssf.com/tablesu/usa-intres-det70.html
Hoban joined fellow Atlanta Chiefs team-mate and NASL All-Star, Paul Childs on the USMNT.
Their participation drew much attention in the British press given their UK citizenship.
Team management
During his years playing in the NASL, Hoban also served in various front-office capacities in preparation for his career after soccer. He served as Business Manager with the Atlanta Apollos (NASL - 1973), Director of Community relations with the Denver Dynamos (1974) and the Portland Timbers (1976–1978).Coaching
Hoban obtained his 'Preliminary Coaching License' from the Football Association (England) whilst playing as a professional with Aston Villa and successfully passed his US Soccer 'A' License in 1978, following his retirement as a player.Hoban was an assistant coach in 1978 to former Timbers public relations director Dennis O'Meara for the University of Portland
University of Portland
The University of Portland is a private Roman Catholic university located in Portland, Oregon. It is affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross and is the sister school of the University of Notre Dame. Founded in 1901, UP has a student body of about 3,600 students...
men’s soccer team.
During his business career in the sporting goods industry he also served as Head Coach for Lake Oswego Soccer Club (Lake Oswego, OR) and St. Giles Soccer Club (Greenville, SC).
Hoban served as a Staff Coach for the Oregon Youth Soccer Association and was instrumental, along with 3 other coaches in Oregon, in conducting the first US Soccer licensed courses in Oregon.
While with Nike, Hoban formed the 'Oregon Soccer Coaches Association - OSCA' and arranged for various Nike partner's to conduct coaching sessions for members of 'OSCA'including representatives from Manchester United.
Since his retirement as a professional player Hoban has coached an amateur soccer team in Portland, Oregon and led them to championships at every level of the amateur game - 'Open, Over-30s, Over-40s' and numerous local amateur cup competitions.
Soccer Industry
After retiring from playing, Hoban was hired by Blue Ribbon Sports - which eventually became Nike, Inc., as the company's first-ever employee in soccer. As BRS's 'Soccer Promotions Manager' Hoban created sports marketing programs centered around the NASL, NCAA Soccer and US Soccer youth programs. Hoban led Nike in establishing the first-ever integrated youth soccer promotions program which resulted in support programs for targeted youth soccer associations and, ultimately, the Nike 'Friendship Cup'.Hoban became Nike International's first-ever European Soccer Promotions Manager and in this position he was responsible for coordinating contracts with some of Europe's leading players at the time including Glenn Hoddle, Ian Rush, Mark Hateley, Steve Nichol, Steve Archibald, Charlie Nichoas, Arnold Muhren, Dossena and Nike's first ever successful footwear contract with Aston Villa, who became champions of Europe wearing Nike footwear in 1982.
He joined Umbro USA in the late 1980s and became Vice President of Soccer Promotions for the Greenville, SC based company. In this capacity he was instrumental in signing the first-ever women's soccer endorsement with Michelle Akers of the US Women's National Team.
Following his time with Umbro he left to become a soccer sports marketing consultant and in 2000 formed Soccer Solutions with a former co-worker from Umbro, Warren Mersereau. Hoban and Mersereau were joined later that year by a 3rd partner - Juergen Klinsmann.
While with Soccer Solutions, the partners worked with leading brands such as Coca-Cola, ING, McDonald's and adidas. In connection with Klinsmann's endorsement contract Soccer Solutions worked closely with MasterCard and Hyundai.
In November, 2010 Hoban left Soccer Solutions to assume his previous role as an independent contractor working in soccer sports marketing and maintains a working relationship with his former partners and clients including adidas International.