Buckley completed his second season as an assistant coach of the Big Red in 2017, helping the squad improve to a 7-8-2 overall record and a 2-4-1 showing in Ivy League play. Buckley’s presence on the sidelines proved to be valuable as the team’s offensive productivity nearly doubled from the previous season. Cornell’s 22 goals were the third most in the league that year.
He was also instrumental in guiding the team to a monumental overtime victory over No. 11 Syracuse, marking the first time that the Big Red had defeated the Orange since 2001.
Buckley also helped the program extend its unbeaten streak over regional rival Colgate to nine straight games.
In his first season at Cornell in 2016, Buckley assisted the team to a 1-14-2 record.
In his two years on East Hill, Buckley oversaw the development of four players who have earned All-Ivy recognition: George Pedlow (Second Team, 2016), Ryan Watters (Honorable Mention, 2016), Richie Hrncir (Second Team, 2017) and Tommy Hansan (Honorable Mention, 2017).
From his early days in his native England working for his home town club Wigan Athletic, the English FA and Lancashire FA, Buckley focused his attention and devoted his adult life to further education and gained his FA “Full Badge” at just 27 years of age. He was selected as one of the first 30 coaches in England to be a Tutor Assessor of the FA, shortly afterward completing his UEFA ‘A’ license.
Following successful stints as a manager in semi-professional leagues, Buckley arrived in the United State to take up a role as a Club Director of Coaching in Minneapolis, Minn. After five years in that role, he was appointed State Director of Coaching for the New York State West Youth Soccer Association — a position he held for 10 years to transform the State Coach Education program and the Olympic Development Program into one of the most successful and revered programs in the nation. Buckley’s experience spans the soccer spectrum from introductory grassroots players through potentially gifted teens to seasoned professionals.
Buckley has served as both a U.S. Soccer and U.S. Youth Soccer National Staff Instructor. He is a national staff instructor for the NSCAA, educating college coaches through the full offering of their diplomas.
