HENDERSON, Nev. (April 1, 2020) – The College of Southern Nevada men's soccer program has been a strong success in its first few years of operation, gaining momentum locally in recruiting and regionally in on-field success.
 
The challenge of extending upon that success now lies with incoming CSN head coach Yancey Tisdale, a longtime soccer figure in the Las Vegas Valley. When Tisdale's hire was announced in early March, it was met with excitement for a seemingly-bright future.
 
For Tisdale, the energy he's gained from joining a growing, developing CSN program hasn't subsided.
 
"I moved to Las Vegas in 2004 and call this home," he said. "To have the opportunity to come into a program here in Las Vegas and build up the sport I love is truly an honor."
 
A teacher in the Clark County School District for the past 16 years, Tisdale has coached soccer for 22 years, along with serving as a coach with local high school programs such as Shadow Ridge and Green Valley. Additionally, he has worked as a head coach for Fort Mill High School and First Baptist High School. 
 
A former NCAA Division-I student-athlete at Winthrop University, Tisdale has coached for seven respected club programs, most recently with LVSA and FC Warriors. He is the owner and director of an elementary sports program that covers multiple sports and includes over 50 schools around the Las Vegas Valley. 
 
Tisdale said his experiences in various levels of soccer have prepared him for the unique challenges of leading a growing CSN program.
 
"I am extremely tactical as a coach; I just love the game's strategic ways," he said. "Even as a kid, I would spend hours looking at formations of our team we had and formations of teams we could have if 'we just got this player to join us'."
 
The new Coyotes coach also has a family that is totally dedicated to soccer and its opportunities for success. Tisdale's wife and children are all soccer-driven, with experience that helps them to give more than casual advice, according to the coach.
 
"I have a wonderful wife who loves to see me succeed, but also has no problem expressing her opinion about decisions I make," he said. "She is from a soccer background as well, so I hear about formation changes, player substitutions and everything else that can change the course of the game."
 
Besides having a strong soccer background, Tisdale's educational experience as a teacher will benefit him in a CSN department that requires coaches to also play a strong academic role. The positives of involvement in a student-athlete's overall development can have many benefits to coaches and players, alike.
 
"(Being involved in academics) allows you to connect with players on a different level," he said. "When we are training, that is what it's all about. To have the chance to slow it down a bit and get to know the players off the field is a large part of the fun."
 
Tisdale, like nearly all collegiate coaches, is currently cut off from players due to the ongoing COVID-19 health pandemic. While the shutdown has sheltered him from being able to do some things, the time away has given time for several other essential tasks.
 
"The best part right now is that I get to build the program how I want it to look," he said. "I'm trying not to focus on 'the now' but focus on the day-to-day things I need to do for the future of the program.
 
"(That being said), I am ready to go.  Anybody who knows me knows that when I commit to something, I am 'all-in' and want to start immediately. I am looking forward to our preseason practices and the first games."