History of NASCA

Initially, a small group of North American based Scottish Coaches who were regular attendees of the annual United Soccer Coaches (NSCAA) Convention would convene on a Friday afternoon for their yearly catch-up. As the group continued to grow over the years, Eric McAleer decided it was time to host a more formal meeting, and in January 2014, the very first North American Scottish Coaches Association (NASCA) Meeting took place. Around 25 people gathered in a conference room in the Marriott hotel in Philadelphia to discuss the current state of the game both home and abroad. Each year, the group would continue to grow and larger meeting rooms were required. Special guests such as Jim Fleeting, Donald Park, Neil Collins, Charlie Mulgrew and Jack Ross joined panels to shed insight into the game, tell stories from their careers, and have a catch-up with old faces they hadn’t seen in a while. As is the Scottish way, there is always a social hour that follows the meeting which allows for conversations to continue and more stories to be shared!

As of October 2024, there are over 350 coaches, administrators, and professionals living and working in North America that belong to the group. NASCA has members from every corner of our wee country, working at various levels of the game coming together to grow, develop, and help each other out wherever possible.