Soccer Community Helps San Diego Coach Achieve Her Goals
SAN DIEGO, CA — An Escondido football coach who tweeted a plea for help received overwhelming support from the football community this week as coaches stepped up to help him reach his financial goal . It started with Jessica Montiel’s plea for emotional support more than anything, she said, “half joking, half serious.”
This week, he was offered a place to enroll in National License Class C at Carlsbad. She soon realized that the initial cost was too high for a family living off a coaching salary and student loans right after the holidays, according to Montiel.
“Does anyone want to offer me $1400 for my C license?” Montiel tweeted, along with some sad face emojis.
“I must have found $1,400 in two days! she says. “I didn’t know what I was going to do. I never imagined in a million years that people would take me seriously,” she told Patch Wednesday.
Cal South Soccer annually hosts the invitation-only Class C License in Carlsbad, which prepares coaches to work with youth teams up to age 19 and sets coaches on their path to coaching at the college level.
Montiel believes coaching is all about education and leveling up, especially for women in the world of soccer.
A long-time player and coach, she earned her National D license, which allows her to coach at the college level. She coached youth soccer for 12 years and coaches the varsity women’s soccer team at Mission Vista High School. Most recently, she joined Palomar Community College as an assistant football coach. With training goals at the highest possible level, she knew she needed an extra American football degree to go further.
“There’s a whole other world to coaching: recruiting, competitive coaching at a high level. There’s so much I want to accomplish,” she said. This higher level comes at a high price for a working family.
Yet by Wednesday night, she had received $1,150. It was enough support to reach his financial goal and enroll in the course that will take place during the summer. Now on the waiting list, she hopes to get her place. Any extra money she earns will go towards helping other female coaches pay for their coaching license, she said.
During the online fundraiser, the coaches shared their support and challenged others to join them in supporting his efforts. She received gifts of $20, $100 to $500 in some cases.
Zac Crawford (on Twitter as @Zaccraw4d) was moved by his plight and wrote:
“Hi Jessica. I don’t know you, but I believe education is an investment. I’ll give you $100 for it. I just humbly ask you to pay it however you see fit and share the story.
Can we ask 13 other people to do the same?”
Others sympathized in his similar boat. Some suggested that her football club could pay her to take the course, which she agreed to do, once she provided proof that she had passed the course at the end of the summer.
“I will be reimbursed but I have to achieve first…something else, but facing $1400 to start is expensive for my family. I have 5 and 7 who also play sports and you know, life lol”, she wrote on
Somebody wanna give me $1400 for my C license
— Jessica Montiel (@JeSSie_84) January 31, 2023
Montiel, football coach, wife and mother grew up on the football fields of San Diego. She played football in college and now coaches at Oceanside and Palomar Community College.
“We had our first winning season last year,” she told Patch. “The whole other world of coaching – recruiting, competitive coaching. That’s what I’m looking forward to the most with the National C license.”
She marvels at the financial support from friends, family and strangers, saying “what a small world it is on the internet”.
“I expected my friends to sympathize with me on Twitter about the expense,” she said. “It blew me away. It continues to blow me away.”