Reno, NV - Truckee Meadows Community College Women's Soccer has hired Debs Brereton as an Associate Head Coach. She joins the Mighty Lizards with a plethora of coaching and playing experience at the NCAA Division I level.

Brereton initially joined TMCC Soccer in Fall 2024 as an assistant coach, helping Coach Geoff Hawkins and the Mighty Lizard women to a near-postseason berth. As the offseason continues to progress, Brereton remains hard at work training her student-athletes in hopes of qualifying for the 2025 Region XVIII Tournament.

"I think (the offseason training) is going as well as expected, this is my first one with the program so I'm still getting familiar with the players and the structure," stated Brereton. "One thing I've come to find is that they're really hungry to get better, they show up and work hard, so they're already halfway there. Hopefully, we can keep improving and implementing some different strategies now so they can marinate over the summer, and give them a program to keep them fit so they can come back in August and hit the ground running."

Prior to her hiring at TMCC, Brereton served as an assistant coach at the University of Nevada (2022), head coach at Idaho State University (2019-21), associate head coach at Ohio University (2016-18), assistant coach at East Tennessee State University (2011-15), and graduate assistant at Middle Tennessee State University (2008-2010).

When asked about her coaching style, the first word to come to mind was "collaborative."

"I don't think I've got all the answers to everything, but I've surrounded myself with a lot of clever people over my career," stated Brereton. "I've got knowledge to give, but I also think that the players are a massive part of the process. I try to structure it where it's more of a collaboration, I'm all about education and think confidence comes from knowledge and can help part mind on them, and hopefully make them feel comfortable in their roles so they can feel like they have the freedom to make decisions."

During her time spent at Ohio University and East Tennessee State, Brereton helped guide her student-athletes through multiple postseason runs. The Bobcats qualified for the MAC semifinals during her final season in Athens, while the Buccaneers earned postseason berths in four out of her five years spent in Johnson City.

Having seen success at such a high level, Brereton hopes to recreate that in the form of a Mighty Lizard postseason run.

"I was at the very last game last season where they had to get a point to secure a postseason berth, and that left such a terrible taste in my mouth, like 'Wow, they were that close!'" exclaimed Brereton. "Now it's all about bridging the gap. We want to go into the postseason. What do we need to do now to ensure we're going to reap the benefits in the fall when it really matters? Again, it's hitting the ground running in August, so when the conference games are coming on fast, they're primed and ready to go."

Brereton played her collegiate career at Northeastern State University and Middle Tennessee State University, ultimately earning 2004 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year honors as well as being named to the Sun Belt Conference All-Time Team as one of the top players from 1976 to 2006. Brereton earned her Bachelor of Science in Physical Education from MTSU in 2005 and a Master of Science in Health and Human Performance from MTSU in 2011.

After the completion of her collegiate eligibility, Brereton played in the Women's Premier Soccer League from 2006-2010. During this time, she amassed minutes with the Nashville Lady Blues, Hampton Road Piranhas, San Diego Sunwaves, San Diego United and Fort Wayne FC.

When asked about the motivation behind making the coaching jump from NCAA to NJCAA, Brereton stressed the ability to make an impact in a different capacity than before in her career.

"I've been in this arena for a while, so my outlook and perspective is 'How can I help others get to the top?'" stated Brereton. "This is a very cool niche where you have players for whatever reason have been left out or missed out and haven't got the opportunities that they deserve, so I think this is the cooler stepping stone for a lot of players to develop as players, characters, personalities, further their education, and prime themselves for a quality career and life. I think this is a much more rewarding experience."

Brereton has earned a multitude of licenses throughout her coaching career. Starting in 2001, she earned her FA Level 2 in Coaching Football license. In 2006, she completed her United States Soccer Federation D License, and additionally earned her C and B licenses through USSF in 2009 and 2012. In 2015, Brereton earned her USSF A License. Furthermore, Brereton was named as a participant in NSCAA's inaugural "30 Under 30" program during the summer of 2013, a year-long mentorship program aiming at fostering the development of up-and-coming coaches.

Before her time in the USA, the Middlesbrough, England native was a member of the National Women's Football Academy in nearby Durham from 1999-01 where she participated in the U-16 and U-18 England National team trials. Outside of coaching at the collegiate level, Brereton also works as the Director of Coaching for Sierra Surf Soccer Club here in Reno.

The lasting message Brereton wants to leave her student-athletes as they prepare for the upcoming fall and life beyond soccer is a renowned quote from Henry David Thoreau: "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams."

"You're preparing players to be the best version of themselves on the pitch, to have success together, but ultimately they're going to remember how you made them feel ten years, twenty years from now," said Brereton. "They all have an expiration date as soccer players but as people, that's the most important thing for a coach to develop those connections. I just want to be here for everyone and to help each one on their journey."