Sam Bellin is excited to bring his brand of high-energy, child-centered, positive youth sports coaching to Mighty Kicks Pittsburgh Soccer. Sam grew up playing many sports in the Pittsburgh area and found soccer to be his true love in middle school. He developed into an outstanding player at Allderdice High School, earning numerous accolades, including team captain and MVP (2 years), All Section (3 years), All Western Pennsylvania (2 years) and graduating with school records for goals and assists. Sam played 2 years at Allegheny College, earning All-Conference honors, finishing in the top 10 in the league scoring standings, and was named Team Captain by his peers. After transferring to the University of Georgia, Sam finished his college career as a 2-year starting midfielder, helping to lead the Bulldogs to the Semifinals of the conference tournament.

 

Sam has always enjoyed working with children and quickly moved into the coaching and teaching fields, spending 7 years as the Athletic Director at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh and the next 6 years as an elementary and middle school teacher with Pittsburgh Public Schools. He is also the co-founder and director of Camp Spirit of the Game, Pittsburgh's only youth ultimate frisbee camp, where he is well-regarded for teaching valuable life skills within the framework of a fun sports program. Closing the circle, Coach Sam served as Head Boys Soccer Coach at his alma mater, Allderdice High School, from 2009 – 2022. He is very proud of his players' accomplishments, including 2 WPIAL Section Titles, 2 City League Titles, 7 WPIAL playoff appearances, dozens of players who went on to play college soccer, and two who are currently playing professional soccer.

 

Sam was honored and humbled to be inducted into the Western Pennsylvania Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2016. He has been happily married to Sarah since 1994 and is the proud father of Eamonn (1996) and Sammy (2000), both avid soccer players. Coach Sam looks forward to passing on the excellent coaching he has received from his own parents, as well as many fine coaches and teachers, to the next generation of soccer players!