Jared Minderman was in Wisconsin in October 2023. His brother had passed away suddenly, and Minderman left his job as assistant coach of Milford High School’s boys soccer team to be with family.

“Two days later I was watching the team play against Fairfield from the YouTube stream. Our captain, R.J. Smith, scored a goal and pulled up his shirt in celebration, angled at the streaming camera to reveal his undershirt written on it was ‘We love Mindy.’ We went on to win that game 4-1 in a dominant performance. It’s hard to explain how much it meant to me, the simple gesture is something I will always carry with me,” Minderman said,

“That is what keeps me in the sport, the boys, the bonds, the family I choose.”

Minderman, 32, is now the school’s head coach, after four seasons as an assistant, including the last two years as the varsity assistant coach. He is the sixth coach in Milford’s 47-year soccer history.

“Coach Minderman is a rising young professional in the coaching field and we are so fortunate to have him to lead our young men,” Milford Director of Athletics Aaron Zupka said. “His fast movement through the ranks of our program is testament to his ambition to learn, grow, and ultimately lead others.”

In addition to his Milford coaching duties, Minderman has also earned experience on the club scene with both Cincinnati United Soccer Club and Cincinnati United Premier.

“To be given the opportunity to take over leadership of this program is a dream,” Minderman said. “I have known for a long time that this was the destination for me; it then became about demonstrating I was the right fit for the job. I feel a connection with the program and more importantly, the community that makes up the program. This is very important for me because I want to work in service of people I feel connected to.”

The Anderson Township resident is a Lakota West High School graduate who played soccer at Bluffton University for one season before transferring to the University of Cincinnati, where he earned his undergraduate degree. He has a graduate degree from Miami University.

Minderman answered questions from The Clermont Sun about his new position:

How long have you been at Milford? Do you also teach there? What subject(s)? If not, what is your fulltime job?

“I started working at Milford in 2019 as a school psychologist, but as of this past summer I started working for the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, in the Office of Accountability, we primarily work with the state report card.”

What is your soccer playing/coaching background?

“I grew up playing for Cincinnati United and CUP, I went on to play a year in college at Bluffton University, which was a great experience, but I missed home, which ended my playing career. I had no real intentions of being a soccer coach, stumbling upon the opportunity in 2021 as the Milford boys JV ‘B’ team needed an assistant. From there it took me all of one practice to fall back in love with them. At the end of that first high school season, I started coaching for Cincinnati United with the younger kids, the under-10 age group.

“After another season of coaching both JV ‘B’ and U10 for Cincinnati United, I was given the opportunity to be the varsity assistant at Milford, and a year after that I started coaching for Cincinnati United Premier with high school-aged players. I have been very fortunate to have a long list of strong mentors who have helped propel my coaching career forward including Alan Grothaus, Jack Hermans, Brian Croston, Jill Helms, Reece Hands, Aaron Zupka and Mike Welker. There have been many others who have helped me grow into the coach I am today, but those listed shape it the most.”

What most excites you about the Milford job?

“The players. Everything I do is 100 percent for the boys, I am constantly working to be better for them. I am not perfect, and I don’t have all the answers, but I try to surround myself with smart, genuine people, and I don’t take lightly the responsibility of helping the players under my watch grow as young men.”

What are some of your coaching philosophies? What style of play can Milford fans expect to see?

“In a single word, intensity. That is the number one thing that I want to associate with Milford soccer. The way I see it is this: Players first, then effort, then tactics. I am a big believer in first getting the players in the right space as an individual and as a group, and then creating an identity built on high-intensity, high-pressing soccer. This ends up being the path of least resistance for me as it aligns with so many of my beliefs like measuring our success by our effort, being brave and willing to make mistakes, and mastering how we respond to those mistakes.”

What specific changes or “personal touches” will you bring to the program?

“I want to create a gritty team, for me step one is giving my boys the moments they need to grow in confidence. To accomplish this for us, it will be going after the big dogs of Cincinnati soccer. One of my first moves as head coach was to add Mason, Moeller and Elder to our schedule for next season. These are some of the top teams in the city year after year and going against them, coaching against some of the top coaches in the area will only make us better and more dangerous for conference play and tournament time.”

In what other sports are you involved? Any hobbies or other interests?

“Soccer is all-consuming if you let it be. I coach from June to November, and then from November to June. That being said, I have a lovely wife and three wonderful dogs; we love trying out new board games and we are constantly working towards filling our bookshelves with more books!”