Since 1998, the Great Lakes Soccer Academy has provided soccer players of all ages a positive learning environment focusing on improving the technical, tactical, physical, and mental demands of the game.

To ensure player development, our Academy offers youth day camps, residential team camps, residential individual camps and individual goalkeeper camps.  Our Academy staff exposes players to a challenging learning atmosphere; to assist them in reaching their individual potential by placing the players in a competitive setting with high level instruction.

Brent Ridenour, President & Camp Director

Brent Ridenour will be entering his fourteenth season as head coach for the men’s soccer program at Ohio Northern University. In his first thirteen seasons, he has led the Polar Bears to a national level. His teams are a combined 174-84-24 including four NCAA Tournament appearances (in the past five seasons), six Conference Championships, ten Conference Tournament Appearances and has never had a losing season. In 2010, he became the all time winningest coach in ONU Soccer history.   His 2008 team advanced to the Elite 8 and was ranked 11th nationally by the NSCAA at the end of the season. He was named Conference Coach of the Year in 2003 and 2006 as well as Ohio Division III Coach of the Year in 2008. He has extensive camp and coaching experience and has been a Camp Director for Great Lakes Soccer Academy for thirteen years. Brent oversees all of the camps for Great Lakes Soccer Academy.

Dave Knapp, Residential Camp Director

Dave Knapp is currently an Assistant Coach and the Goalkeeper Coach for the men’s soccer program at Ohio Northern University. While playing at Ohio Northern, Dave enjoyed an incredible four-year career, compiling 486 saves, still tops among all goalkeepers in ONU history.  In Dave's ten seasons as goalkeeper trainer at Ohio Northern, he has coached seven all conference goalkeepers.   Dave has been on the GLSA staff for over 10 years and will be directing all residential camps and all of the goalkeeper sessions.

Jason Diley, Youth Camp Director

Jason Diley enters his first season as assistant men’s soccer coach for Ohio Northern. Diley returns to ONU with a wealth of experience training elite-level youth with the North Meck Soccer Club in Cornelius, N.C. He began his coaching career there in 2005. A 2003 graduate of Ohio Northern with a bachelor’s in journalism, Diley was also a four-year varsity letterwinner for the Polar Bear soccer team (1999-2002). In his senior campaign, Diley was an Academic All-OAC and Academic All-District selection.

The Great Lakes Soccer Academy staff will be selected and trained for each camp. We acknowledge that high school and youth camps require different coaching and therefore we select staff that will be great at each of our camps.