MIAMI (March 8, 2021) - FIU head women's soccer coach
Jonathan Garbar has finished rounding out his coaching staff, as on Monday Garbar announced the hiring of
James Hocken and
David Styles as assistant coaches.
"We are very excited to announce the addition of two excellent coaches in James and David," said Head Coach
Jonathan Garbar. "Each of them bring a different set of skills and assets to our program. Our organizational goals are more readily achievable due to their presence at FIU."
Hocken, a native of Colchester, England, joins FIU after serving as a graduate assistant and lead performance analyst with the Florida State women's soccer program from 2018-20. Before joining FSU, Hocken spent 2016-18 at the professional ranks in England's football system.
"Coach Hocken's background and pedigree as a relatively young coach is second to none," said Coach Garbar. "His active roles within two of the most successful organizations in football, the English FA and Florida State University, speaks for itself. James' expertise in the field of analytics, his tactical fluency, and his ability to identify talent and evaluate players is simply first class. Our ability to build FIU into one of the most competitive programs in Conference USA will be predicated on empowering people who exemplify dynamic thinking, offer a unique set of skills, and possess and outstanding work ethic. Coach Hocken not only checks those boxes, but sets the standard."
"I am very excited to be joining such a celebrated establishment in FIU," said Hocken. "The Women's Soccer program here has a lot of potential, and I am delighted to be offered the opportunity to help this program achieve success. The most exciting aspect of this position is the ability to work with Coach Garbar and Coach Styles. They have unique coaching styles and an incredible aptitude to develop culture. The commitment from the staff and players so far has been outstanding and I have such admiration for how much the program has already developed in such a short space of time."
Hocken spent three seasons with the FSU women's soccer program, helping the Seminoles win an NCAA National Championship in 2018, while claiming two ACC Championships along the way in 2018 and 2020. During his time at FSU, Hocken built the analytics department from scratch and trained graduate students with the purpose of executing advanced analytical processes to aid team development. Hocken was named the Tony DiBenedetto Graduate Student Employee of the Year in April of 2020.
Prior to FSU, Hocken was an analyst for the men's U15 program at The Football Association (The FA) in Burton-Upon Trent, England, from July 2017 until July 2018. Before joining The FA, Hocken worked with Norwich City Football Club (FC) in Norwich, England, as an academy match analyst and youth development program scout from July 2016 until May 2018. Hocken began his career as a volunteer analyst with Colchester United FC in Essex, England.
Styles, a native of Bognor Regis, England, lands at FIU after spending the last five years as a member of the Franklin Pierce women's soccer program, where he served as the top assistant to Coach Garbar.
"Coach Styles brings an elite-level of professionalism, competitiveness, and ingenuity to our program at FIU," said Coach Garbar. "His commitment to the development of student athletes is unique and also necessary for any high-level institution. David simply inspires everyone in his orbit to be better at what they do, by effectively teaching them how to do so. Whether it be on-field instruction, academic support, or planning and preparation behind-the-scenes, his work is nothing short of exceptional."
"I'm excited to have the opportunity to build the women's soccer program here and work under Coach Garbar's leadership once again," said Styles. "It has been an excellent few weeks and I can't wait to continue the progress to reaching new, ambitious goals for Panther Nation."
As FPU's top assistant, Styles helped the Ravens to a 2018 championship in the Northeast-10 Conference, which is regarded as one of the most competitive leagues in Division II women's soccer. Styles also helped FPU earn two berths to the NCAA DII Championship Tournament. In 2018, Styles guided the Ravens to a second round appearance in the national tournament. Prior to being named assistant coach at FPU, Styles spent two seasons as a graduate assistant on the Raven's women's soccer staff, and in 2017 helped the Ravens earn their first trip to the NCAA DII Tournament since 2010.
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