November 20, 2023 – United Soccer League One (USL1) – Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC News Release
WINDSOR, Colo. – Northern Colorado Rain FC is proud to announce Kelly Brown as the first head coach in club history.
Brown, a Colorado native, comes to the Rain from Steamboat Soccer Club, where she had been the Director of Camps & Special Programs since 2022.
“What excites me most about coaching the Rain is being able to provide a professional level playing environment for these women outside of their collegiate seasons,” Brown said. ” They will get to train, play and compete at the highest level ever offered in the summer in Northern Colorado.”
Prior to joining SSC, Brown was the head women’s soccer coach at Regis University. She was 18-8-1 in two seasons with the Rangers, leading them to the 2021 RMAC Championship game, their first in more than a decade.
“Kelly’s experience at all levels of soccer brings the Rain what they need to not only be immediately competitive on the Future Legends pitch, but also to bring that high level of expertise and knowledge to our children at our youth academy and camps. We are lucky to have her on our team,” Future Legends Managing Member Jeff Katofsky said.
Brown spent nearly a decade as an assistant coach at colleges around Colorado before taking the top job at Regis. On top of serving as a coach with the Rangers, she also made stops at Colorado and Colorado State.
She was at Colorado from 2017-2019, helping lead the Buffs to the NCAA tournament twice in three seasons.
The Rain will not be Brown’s first time seeing the debut of a team as she was at Colorado State as an assistant coach at the inception of the women’s soccer program in 2013. She spent four seasons with the Rams before departing.
Brown played soccer at both Regis and UNLV, winning the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year Award with the Rangers before transferring and becoming a three-time Mountain West All-Academic selection for the Rebels.
In addition to her extensive collegiate coaching experience, Brown has also coached at the club level for more than a dozen years at clubs including Real Colorado, Las Vegas Premier, Westminster AFC, Arsenal Colorado, Boulder County United, and Steamboat Soccer Club. She holds Coaching Licenses with both United Soccer Coaches and the United States Soccer Federation.
“We can’t wait to watch her not only bring in championships for the Rain, but help pave the path for young girls in Northern Colorado to…