San Diego Surf Welcomes San Diego Wave Assistant Coach

San Diego Surf is thrilled to announce the appointment of Craig Barclay as a leader in the Girls ECNL program. With a proven track record of success both on and off the field, Barclay brings a wealth of experience and a fresh vision to the program at San Diego Surf.

Barclay began his tenure at Surf in 2014. In his 8 years as a coach and director, Barclay not only went on to win 8 State Cup Championships, 4 Far West Regional Championships, and 1 National Championship. But also played a fundamental part in identifying and developing many of Surf’s top female talent over his tenure, helping produce two professional players, over 15 YNT appearances and countless D1 scholarships. With a clear ability to lead programs and develop players to success, Barclay was quickly noticed by professional women’s side, San Diego Wave.

In December 2022, San Diego Wave signed Craig as a Technical Development coach in which he was quickly promoted to Assistant Coach under Casey Stoney in May 2023. Success naturally followed as Barclay would go on to win the NWSL League Championship in his first year, followed by a Challenge Cup Championship in 2024. During his tenure at Wave, Barclay worked hand in hand with the world’s best professionals such as Alex Morgan, Abby Dahlkemper, Naiomi Girma, Kailen Sheridan, Jaiden Shaw, Delphine Cascarino, Maria Sanchez and more.

Former San Diego Wave head coach and Current Canadian National Team coach said, “Craig is a very detailed oriented coach with fantastic knowledge and deep passion for player development. I saw first hand the improvements players made under his expert coaching and guidance in his time with Wave FC. A great coach who is always finding ways to improve his knowledge so he can support player development and team performance.” 

Now in 2025, Barclay steps back into San Diego Surf with a proven track record of success in youth and professional soccer and a first hand understanding of the development pathway to the highest level of the game.

“We are excited to welcome Craig Barclay back to the San Diego Surf family,” said Josh Henderson, Executive Director. “Craig understands the Surf culture through and through.  During his 8 years, he showed a natural ability to win and develop standout teams/players that are still bringing success to our program today. Craig spent the last 2 years gaining invaluable knowledge on and off the field in the women’s professional game that will only enhance the overall success of our Girls Program.”

“For me, coming back to Surf means rejoining a club that is close to my heart,” said Barclay. “Surf is the Nation’s best training environment for high performing female players and having the opportunity to help the next generation of professionals has always been a passion of mine. I gained invaluable experience during my time with Wave learning from the best female coaches and players in world football, understanding what it takes to play and win at that level and can’t wait to share my experience and help the players here at Surf”.

About Surf:

For over 45 years, Surf has been one of the founding organizations in youth soccer. With over $7 Million in charitable donations, 16 national championships, and countless professional, collegiate, and youth national team players, we are forever striving to be the “Best of the Best.”