Big News!

We are pleased to announce that Coach Jack Maher will be taking on a leadership position with Rush Union at our Dunwoody location, effective immediately.  “We are excited about Jack’s continued growth and involvement at Rush Union” stated Rush Union’s Executive Director. 

Read Jack's Journey below.

Jack's Journey

I am extremely grateful and excited to be stepping into a director position for Rush Union here in Dunwoody. I have watched this club over these last 4 years not just merge with, but ingrain itself in this community, and likewise have seen the community do the same with us. I am intensely passionate about our mission at Rush Union, and am excited to grow that mission in our parents, coaches, and children alike. I am really looking forward to building more relationships throughout the club, to continuing to chart new areas of service, development, and inspiration for our membership, and to become a larger part of the community myself.

I grew up playing for Chiefs FC (Now Rush Union Soccer) over at Pleasantdale Park (colloquially called “Pleasantdirt” back then). I remember feeling so invested in, and the positivity and fun I experienced had me fully impassioned from an early age. It didn’t mean we always won, but we were playing at a high level, and it was intoxicating; I could see our potential so clearly. High school came around and our current CEO Neil McNab took over our team. I found myself going from a rotatable outside back to the starting center back, playing the entire game. I saw myself improve dramatically, take on leadership roles on and off the field, and eventually be named captain. The difference in my confidence and ability on the field was staggering, even from my own perspective.

I think there are a lot of places I would’ve been overlooked early in my soccer career, not given the room or nurturing to grow to my full potential as a player and as a person. I have practiced on baseball fields and dirt patches for seasons at a time, been a part of great teams falling apart, and partial or full rebuilds, and I truly believe sticking by the coaches and people who believed in me and approached the game the right way has made all the difference for me to this day. I had adults to not only teach but model the values of the game and how they translate to life, and I don't believe that can be overvalued. I learned how to win. How to lose. How to embrace challenges. That the most important play is the next one. Make a team greater than the sum of its parts. The list of lessons goes on far longer than I have the room for here!

Today, I coach my former coach’s daughter, Aria, as a part of my 2013G Academy team, completing a full circle of soccer coaching. I am also coaching our 2008G and 2009G, where I have seen some players develop much more at older ages, much like I did. I have fallen in love with soccer all over again from the other side of the sideline and am honored to perpetuate and grow the values and visions that were foundational in my youth through our community here in Dunwoody, in the national Rush organization, and beyond