Often lost in the grind of professional sports is family, a far more important part of life.
Even the fiercest of competitors have to make concessions to demanding professional lives. Tony DiCicco is no different.
On Tuesday, Jenna Pel at All White Kit reported that DiCicco had stepped down as the head coach of the Boston Breakers. Lisa Cole, a three year assistant of DiCicco, will take over as head coach and director of soccer operations. She is currently serving as interim general manager after the departure of Andy Crossley.
DiCicco told The Equalizer on Wednesday that the move was “mostly a personal decision.”
For the past three seasons DiCicco lived in an apartment in Boston while coaching the Breakers. His wife, Diane, lived in Connecticut and frequently commuted between the two locations. DiCicco, who just turned 63, said it is now time for a more normal life.
“At my stage I want to live with my wife,” DiCicco said. “This was something I needed to make a decision on.”
The arrangement worked well in the inaugural WPS season (2009), but the past two seasons forced DiCicco to make a decision, he said. On Monday, he formally did that when he emailed Breakers players to inform them of his departure.
DiCicco will continue running his SoccerPlus camps. SoccerPlus is based out of Hartford, CT.
“It’s always nice to have a business to jump back into that you are passionate about,” DiCicco said.
His decision to step down as coach of the Breakers comes at a time of uncertainty for the organization. The Breakers made public in August investor Gary Loveman’s intent to put his controlling interest of the team up for sale.
Boston is seeking an investor to take over at least 55 percent of the team.
DiCicco’s decision also comes at a time when a group of potential owners in Connecticut are interested in a WPS expansion franchise. According to DiCicco, there has not been any contact between him and the still mysterious group, but he did offer some advice for a potential team in the Constitution State.
“If there is a viable ownership interest in Connecticut I would encourage them to talk to the Breakers and maybe play as the New England Breakers where they could split games between Connecticut and Boston,” DiCicco said.
At this point, talks of that scenario or even a definite expansion team in Connecticut are purely speculative.