New Orleans, LA- May 10, 2024 Coach Stuart "Stu" Hayers, soccer director and head varsity coach of Holy Cross School New Orleans, recently completed the naturalization process and became an American citizen. Coach Hayers has been a member of the Holy Cross family since 2010.
Originally from England, Coach Hayers was always a dedicated student and an equally dedicated soccer (or, as he calls it, football) player. He ventured to Wales for university, receiving his Bachelors in Sports Coaching from the Welsh Sports Institute of Cardiff. From there he moved to Boca Raton, Florida to play for Lynn University, where he earned another bachelor’s degree, this time in International Business. During undergrad at Lynn, he was a two-time All-American soccer player, as well as a two-time Scholar All-American. After graduation, he worked as the assistant coach for Lynn’s men’s soccer team while earning his MBA. Lynn’s men’s soccer team was the top-ranked team in the country during Coach Stu’s playing and coaching career there.
In 2009, he represented Great Britain in the World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia, making it to the final. In 2010, he was selected as head coach of the Baton Rouge Capitals, becoming the youngest head coach of a USL professional soccer franchise. The Capitals made it to the Final Four in his first year of leadership, and he helped several players transition into other professional soccer positions.
Also in 2010, Coach Stu Hayers became an assistant coach at Holy Cross, and in 2012 he became a full-time faculty member, teaching business and economics. For the last decade, he has been the Director of the Holy Cross soccer program, leading the Tigers to five state titles and multiple middle school titles. He has also been a dedicated club soccer coach in the Greater New Orleans area for the last twelve years, as well as a small business owner whose work focuses on expanding local youth soccer development through camps and individual mentorship.
Coach Stu continued to enjoy playing competitive soccer as a member of the Motagua amateur men’s soccer team while coaching and teaching. The Motague men's soccer team won the national tournament in 2022. He is now the newly appointed Technical Director of the Louisiana Fire Soccer Club, where he has served as a staff coach for over a decade and is the winningest coach in the club’s history.
Coach Stu Hayers met his wife Tiffany at Holy Cross in 2012, and they are the proud parents of two young daughters. Although he will be transitioning out of the classroom, Holy Cross School is excited for Coach Hayers to continue his role as soccer program director and head coach while developing young men through his time on campus and on the soccer field.