A familiar face within the Sunshine State Conference, having served stints at both Embry-Riddle and Barry, Michael Donald enters his first season with the Nova Southeastern program in 2021.
Donald most recently spent two seasons at Barry, where he acted as interim head coach of the women's program during much of the unprecedented 2020-2021 year.
"I'm excited to join the Nova Southeastern men's program," Donald expressed. "Having competed against NSU both as a player, and then more recently as a coach, I am aware of the high standards that have been set. I look forward to meeting the team and getting started. Preseason can't come quick enough!"
A native of Scotland, Donald was recognized in the spring of 2021 as the Barry University Assistant Coach of the Year as a result of his efforts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. He originally joined the Buccaneers staff in the fall of 2019, helping guide the team to an SSC regular season title and a No. 1 seed in the SSC Tournament. Along the way, Donald coached two players to the United Soccer Coaches All-South Region Team, while a combined five earned All-SSC honors.
"Michael's passion, knowledge and personality is a great fit for our program," said NSU head coach Matt Watts. "Michael has proven to be an outstanding assistant in the SSC, and has a great knowledge of the South Florida recruiting landscape to go along with his international contacts. Being that Michael is an 'A-License' coach, he will bring quality on to the pitch, which I hope will give us an extra edge in our difficult league. Michael has played at a very high level, and this familiarity will help our players improve and develop quickly. I am excited to have him in and am ready to get to work!"
Prior to his tenure at Barry, Donald returned to his alma mater, Embry-Riddle, where he worked for two seasons as a member the men's soccer staff.
As a player at ERAU from 2008-11, Donald proved to be a standout, collecting all-conference accolades as a left back en route to leading the Eagles to conference championships in both 2009 and 2011.
Upon graduating from ERAU in 2012 with his bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Donald played professionally in Scotland, including a four-year run with AYR United in the Scottish Championship league.
Donald gained valuable coaching experience at the AYR United Football Academy for several years before transitioning into a coaching role at the Florida Elite Soccer Academy in July of 2017.
He holds both UEFA A & B coaching licenses.
