16 / matters magazine / school 2018 O n a bucolic, radiant week- end morning in June, a group of players halt- ingly steers its soccer balls across a swath of green grass in Maplecrest Park. Two of these athletes gen- tly collide, sending their balls – and a small cloud of dust – in opposite directions. One footballer, who sports a spiky haircut and the last name “Messi” spelled across the back of his shirt, makes his way towards the goal, successfully launches the ball into the air, but then awkwardly trips into the net. Coach Nathan is all smiles. For those who avidly follow soccer, that player with the spiky haircut is not Argentine soccer legend Lionel Messi. Rather, he’s a 4-year-old Maplewood resident who, along with roughly 10 other kids, is taking a Saturday morning soccer class with Nathan Davies. And while these young ones may not be playing World Cup-level soccer, the coach has high fives for all the players involved. Experiencing a Coach Nathan soccer class has become something of a rite of passage in the South Orange-Maplewood community. For more than 13 years, Davies has been teaching both the techniques and joys of soccer to kids between ages 2 and 8. The event is very much a family affair. Diego, his 9-year- old son and soccer enthusiast, is a regular presence on weekends. The parents, who often ring the soccer field to watch their kids learn the basics, consistently remark on Davies’ affable and supportive demeanor. “I don’t know how he remembers all of their names,” says one local mom. “Sometimes I can’t remember the names of my own kids. I want to know his secret.” While the community lauds him for his admira- ble teaching skills, many may be unaware of Coach Nathan’s notable background. Growing up in a fam- ily of runners in his home town of Connah’s Quay, Wales, he developed an affinity for soccer at a young age, and quickly moved his way up into playing the game semi-professionally in the Welsh National Kicking it Forward World record-holder Coach Nathan thinks saving children is the ultimate goal BY DONNY LEVIT Soccer Coach Nathan Davies instructs his soccer class in Maplecrest Park.