For Fred Franzoni, soccer isn’t just a game that he’s played and coached; it’s a way of life that’s allowed him to build bonds with members of an extended family.

Fred, a Clinton resident, grew up in Walingford and played soccer at Sheehan High School, where he came back to coach after competing for the University of Maine. Fred then lived in California for a while and, upon returning to Connecticut, he joined the Guilford girls’ soccer team as an assistant coach. Fred has held that role for the past eight years, a time during in which he’s helped the Indians win SCC titles in 2013 and 2014, along with a Class L state championship in the former season. Last year, Fred added another accolade when he was named the 2015 Connecticut Girls’ Soccer Coaches Association (CGSCA) State Assistant Coach of the Year.

“Winning that award was a great honor. I know some of the other coaches who have received that award,” says Fred, an 8th-grade special education teacher in Hamden. “So to win that award, it made me feel like I was in elite company. It was a nice honor and it was great to be recognized.”

Fred says that soccer isn’t solely about how many goals a player scores or the number of minutes one sees on the field. He feels that it’s also about learning more about yourself, while contributing to the good of a group.

“I want the girls to have fun and work hard. You gather a team together and they work hard for each other like a family would,” says Fred. “I want the girls to feel like they are a part of something and have fun with it. To be a part of something, you have to stick with it and enjoy it. There’s more to the sport and the team than just playing.”

Indians’ Head Coach Scott McMahon says that Fred is the quintessential right-hand man on any coaching staff given his passion for the sport and ability to impact his players.

“Fred has been with me for eight years. He was chosen CGSCA State Assistant Coach of the Year last season and is truly a best friend and amazing coach who knows the game well,” says McMahon. “But he also has a great ability to motivate the girls to love the game first and then seek results second.”

Fred equates coaching kids on the field with teaching them in the classroom. When the lessons are learned, that’s when he gets his greatest satisfaction from coaching.

“Coaching is like teaching. You show them how to do something, but they have to actually do it. When you see them finally do it, that’s great,” Fred says. “You practice on the field and then game time is like taking a test. When they pass those tests and I see the smiles on their faces, I feel the same way after helping them do it.”

Fred says that there isn’t one particular Indians’ team that stands out above the others. That’s because Fred knows each team has its own place in Guilford’s passionate soccer community.

“All of the teams I’ve coached here stand out in their own way. They all stood out, which speaks to the character of the kids in this town. I also thank the program and the school’s administration for letting me coach them,” says Fred. “It is a community here. If anyone needs anything, they will have it. I feel like any team I’ve been a part of has been a family and we’ve always been there for each other here at Guilford.”