The only coach the Thunder Bay Chill have ever known is stepping down.
The Premier Development League team announced on Monday that Tony Colistro has decided to step aside after 15 years, departing with a 130-94-24 record including three national championship appearances, including winning the 2008 PDL title.
Colistro, who is also the Chill's owner and president, will remain with the franchise's front office.
"Fifteen years was a good number and time to make some changes there," Colistro said. "Obviously my role with the club is just giving me more and more things to do with the club. From the recruiting standpoint, it's going to be very important that I'm involved with that.
"It's just the day-to-day job, behind the bench and running the training session that became a little too much with everything else that's going on with the club."
The coaching ranks aren't the only area of transition facing the Chill. Colistro said they're taking a new outlook on the roster, focusing more on local players than imports, which will affect who is chosen to guide the team going forward.
"We think that's important that we look more internally, into our own coaching staff within our club, for someone who might have a better relationship with some of those players and hopefully down the road in the next two or three years we'll see a team of Thunder Bay Chill players that are predominantly local players. That has something to do with the decision as well."
He looked back at his time at the helm with fond memories, especially 2008 when Colistro and the Chill took home the PDL championship, defeating the host Laredo Heat on penalty kicks.
"Being the first team in Canada to win that championship was obviously very special. The last seven years of making the playoffs, the appearances in the final were always great, but they can never take away the one you won, so that was very great."
That win changed the entire outlook of the organization.
"Since that victory I think it just installed a sense of confidence to move forward and never look back. Every year we want to win the title now," Colistro said.
While the wins were nice, and taking the team to the PDL playoffs for seven straight seasons starting in 2007, they were by no means the most important part of Colistro's tenure.
"I think the greatest thing about any coaching job is not the wins and losses, but th eplayers that come into your life and the impact you have on them. What I will miss the most is the connection with the players," said Colistro, noting he coached more than 200 players at the PDL level, many of whom have become lifelong friends.
Count former midfielder Nolan Intermoia, a mainstay on Colistro's most successful teams, in that select group. Intermoia said he arrived in Thunder Bay in 2006, Colistro picking him up at the airport in his old, grey Chevrolet. Colistro meant everything to the Chill organization, Intermoia said, reached via email.
"He inspries his coaches and players alike to become great at their profession, to become role models, to become special human beings that leave a little bit of you in people you come in contact with," Intermoia said.
"Tony didn't give me a place to play soccer. he gave me a home ... He gave me a second family."
Those memories won't fade fast, Intermoia added.
"I've won championships and lost national title games with him. I've cried on his shoulder with sadness and with joy," said Intemroia, wishing his former coach best of luck in his future endeavours.
Colistro said he wants to focus more on the development side of the Chill prgram, providing the city's youth with the best opportunity possible in the game of soccer.
"A lot of planning and work goes into these programs and ensuring we provide our kids with the best opportunity possible," said Colistro, whose program currently boast 1,800 recreational players and 250 competitive players on 12 teams.
His duties with the PDL club going forward will including assisting the new coaching staf in recruitment and building a team to put on the field.
"Tony's experience and contact with other coaches and players around the world are too valuable to lose and player selection will continue to be integral to our team moving foward," GM John Marrello said in a release.
"His decision to leave the bench is to continue to put the club forward and allow him more time to recruit and spend more time with our team stakeholders, such as our sponsors, which he enjoys doing."
A search for his replacement is underway, team officials said. They hope to have someone in place by month's end.
