OL Reign expected to appoint PacNW’s Kate Norton as assistant coach

OL Reign is expected to announce experienced local youth coach Kate Norton as an assistant coach, Ride of the Valkyries has learned from multiple sources. Norton is currently Director of Coaching for the U13-U19 Girls program at Pacific Northwest (PacNW) Soccer Club. Norton will join Head Coach Laura Harvey and recently appointed Head Assistant Scott Parkinson on the sidelines for the Reign this season.

Prior to coming to the region in 2020, Norton was director of the Surf Development Academy program for the San Diego Surf Soccer Club, one of the top youth programs in the country, and before that she served as an assistant coach for the University of Arizona women’s soccer team. She has also been an assistant coach for the US U18 and U20 Women’s Youth National Teams and serves as a US Soccer Youth Talent Identification Scout.

Norton, a native of Pittsburgh, Penn. played soccer collegiately at the University of Cincinnati, where she was a four-year starter. After graduating she briefly played professionally in the Czech Republic for FC Slovacko before moving into coaching. Norton currently holds a USSF A License and USSF Youth National Coaching License. Her partner, Henry Brauner, is VP of Player Development for the Sounders.