Robert Blake has been named Lakeland University’s new head women’s soccer coach.
Blake brings a wealth of soccer experience at a variety of levels. The past two seasons, he was the first head women’s soccer coach at Black Hills State University, an NCAA Division II school in Spearfish. S.D. He also worked as a coach and staff member with the Olympic Development Program for the region covering Wyoming, North and South Dakota, and was president/director of coaching for the Spearfish Soccer Association.
Before moving west, Blake was head varsity girls soccer coach at Greenfield High School (Wis.) and head women’s soccer coach at Milwaukee Area Technical College. Blake’s Greenfield teams won two regional championships.
Blake is a 2008 graduate of Cardinal Stritch University, where he received a bachelor of science degree in business. After graduation, he served as assistant head men's soccer coach and head women's soccer coach.
He began his coaching career in Grimsby, England, where he coached boys’ club soccer. In 2004, he left England for Cardinal Stritch, where he was a member of the nationally ranked Wolves program in his four years of action. In 2007, he helped the program become the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference runners-up.
He also has experience in club soccer, first with the Whitefish Bay Soccer Club from 2009-12 and then with the Fusion Soccer Club from 2012-14.
He played club soccer in Grimsby before ascending to the semi-professional level with Cleethorpes Community FC. He had two professional soccer tryouts before coming to the U.S.
Blake owns a United States Soccer Federation National C License along with an F.A Level One Coaching License, F.A. Level Two Coaching License and FMA Coaching Certification.
