NC Courage - Official website

Technical

NATHAN THACKERAY

Assistant Coach

Nathan Thackeray is heading into his eighth season as an assistant coach with the North Carolina Courage in 2025.

Thackeray started his coaching career in 2011 after playing with England’s Bradford City from 2003-2006 and William Woods University from 2006-2010. He worked with Young Harris College in Georgia, and then became the Head of Goalkeeping at the Houston Dynamo Academy in 2012. Thackeray is a USSF licensed coach. He was a member of the 2018 and 2019 NWSL Championship coaching staff.

EMMA THOMSON

Assistant Coach

Emma Thomson is heading into her fourth season as a full-time assistant coach with the North Carolina Courage in 2025.

Originally from Nottinghamshire, England, Thomson grew up playing for Doncaster Belles in the FA Women’s Premier league. She represented England at the youth levels before attending university in the states. A four-year starter and two-year captain for Penn State women’s soccer, Thomson helped the Nittany Lions to four NCAA Tournament appearances, collecting four Big Ten Championships and one Big Ten Tournament Championship as well as the 2011 PSU Defender of the Year. Thomson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from Penn State in 2012, before her Masters in Sports Management from St. John’s (NY) in 2015 where she served as a graduate assistant with the women’s soccer team. Thomson spent 6 years coaching in college with George Mason University, while also coaching with FC Virginia in the Development Academy. Emma holds her A license and is currently on staff with the NC Courage Girls Academy.

Thomson is also a network coach with the US women’s youth national teams most recently serving the U17s and U15s.

VICTORIA BOARDMAN

Assistant Coach

Victoria Boardman is heading into her third season as an assistant coach with the North Carolina Courage in 2025.

Boardman was on staff with the San Diego Wave in 2022 and has been a U.S. Youth National Team network scout since 2020.

Boardman helped the Wave to a playoff berth in their first season of competition in 2022. Prior to joining the Wave, she was a head coach for BEACH Futbol Club in California for over four years. She earned her USSF A license in 2018 and achieved her UEFA B license in 2021. She graduated from Long Beach State in May 2020 with a degree in kinesiology and exercise science.

KATELYN ROWLAND

Assistant Goalkeeping Coach

TOM HARRIS

Technical Analyst

SCOTT MARTIN

Opposition Analyst

MIKE YOUNG, PHD

Performance Director

Young has served as the Performance Director for the North Carolina Courage since the teams inception. Young directs all athletic development and sports science initiatives for the club. Young is the owner of Athletic Lab sports performance training center and has previously served as the Performance Director or Strength & Conditioning coach for four other professional soccer clubs. Young has a PhD in biomechanics, an MS in Coaching Science and a BS in Exercise Physiology. He is recognized as a Certified Strength & Conditioning Coach with distinction, a Registered Strength & Conditioning Coach with distinction, a Level 2 Weightlifting Coach and a Level 3 Certified High Performance Coach. Young regularly consults for some of the top sports teams in the world including the US Women’s National Team, 4 World Cup Rugby teams and 4 Premier League Soccer clubs

LUIGI MARINO, MS

Director of Rehab

Luigi is the Director of Rehab for the Courage. Luigi has dual masters degrees. He has an MS in Exercise Physiology from São Paulo School of Medicine and an MS in Sports Training Methodology from São Paulo State University. Additionally, Luigi earned his BS in Physical Education from the University of Ribeirão Preto. He is also recognized as a Level 3 Certified High Performance Coach, a and Level 4 EXOS Performance Specialist. Luigi has over 25 years of experience working in elite sports performance. In team sport, he was the Physical Preparation Coordinator for the Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras (aka Palmeiras FC) Academy and was a performance consultant for São Paulo FC.

CRAIG KLEINBERG, MA

Data scientist

Craig is a Data Scientist for the Courage. In this role, he assists with sports science and performance data management. Craig has an MA in Exercise Physiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Craig is recognized as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, a USA Weightlifting Level 1 Sports Performance Coach, a Level 3 Certified High Performance Coach, and a Functional Range Conditioning Coach.