Plymouth State University

Rob Wright starts his 25th season as head men’s soccer coach at Plymouth State in 2026-27. Wright took over in 2002 as just the seventh head coach in the nearly 70-year history of the Panther men’s soccer program and became the longest-tenured coach in program history in 2025.
 
Wright has led the Panthers to eight LEC postseason berths and five ECAC postseason tournaments. He served as an assistant coach on the 2001 squad that captured the ECAC New England Championship and recorded his 100th career victory with the Panthers' final win in 2014.
 
Under his guidance, Plymouth State won or shared the LEC regular-season title in 2003, 2006, and 2015 and made appearances in the LEC Tournament championship game in 2006 and 2008. The 2010 and 2011 Panthers won the Little East Sportsmanship Award, with the 2011 squad also earning the NSCAA Team Ethics Award of Merit, one of only two men’s soccer programs in the country to receive the honor that year.
 
In 2024, Wright led the Panthers to a tie for fourth in the final LEC standings and the No. 5 seed for the LEC Tournament. He orchestrated a 3-0 shutout victory over No. 4 seed Keene State on the road, PSU’s first win at Keene in seven years.
 
Overall, PSU has registered a 154-197-45 record during his tenure, with Wright ranking second on PSU’s all-time wins list. The Panthers have also appeared in the New England regional rankings on multiple occasions while cracking the national Top 20.
 
A native of England, Wright earned a bachelor's degree with honors from De Montfort University in 1996. He later earned a postgraduate degree from Cheltenham & Gloucester College, a sport psychology diploma from Newcastle College and a master’s degree in athletic administration from Plymouth State, graduating with a perfect grade point average.
 
As a coach, Wright has worked with organizations across the world, including the academy system at English Premiership club Arsenal FC. He holds multiple USSF, NSCAA and English FA/UEFA coaching licenses. In addition to his duties at PSU, Wright has served as the head goalkeeping coach for the New Hampshire Olympic Development Program (NHODP) and spent 17 years as the NHODP head coach for various age groups. He also served as a staff coach for the US Youth Soccer Region 1 Boys ODP for seven years, working with top players at the U13, U16 and U17 levels.
 
As an educator, Wright works for the New Hampshire Soccer Association, teaching United States Soccer Federation national licensing courses to coaches throughout the region. At PSU, he teaches in the School of Health in both the Coaching and Sports Management programs and oversees all internships in the department.
 
Wright has served on the USC soccer rankings committee and NCAA rankings committee and has worked as an NCAA site representative at multiple NCAA Tournament locations. He has also served on the coaching advisory board for Coaches Across Continents, currently serves on the board of the Pemi Baker Soccer Club and is the owner of Goals Galore Soccer Camps. He also spent eight years as the Director of Coaching for PLAY SOCCER, recruiting and training coaches throughout the Northeast.