Chad Bridges

Chad Bridges is the founder of Bridges United and has a long history of soccer from his time as a player, coach, and club director. Bridges is the current Head Boys’ Soccer Coach of the nationally ranked Pennington Boys’ Soccer team and has been named Prep Coach of the Year 7 times, Mercer County Coach of the Year 3 times, New Jersey Soccer Coach of the Year twice, and was honored as an All-American Coach in 2016.

A graduate of Drew University in Madison, NJ, Bridges earned a B.A. in Political Science, graduating with high honors. In his senior year, Bridges received the Norman Guy Award for Excellence in Academics and won the Larry Horner Memorial Scholar-Athlete Award for Leadership.

On the pitch at Drew University, Bridges was captain of the nationally-ranked men’s soccer program and earned numerous accolades during his time, including All-Conference and All-Region. Bridges also excelled on the basketball court, where he was a four-year letter winner and captained the team during his senior year. Bridges’ playing career saw his teams win two East Coast Athletic Championship titles, two conference titles, a Mid-Atlantic Conference Championship, and two trips to the Men’s NCAA tournament. His tenure at Drew was the start of a record-setting time in the program's history that saw seven consecutive berths to the NCAA tournament and a place in the National Championship in 2003.

Bridges' coaching career began shortly after his playing career finished, and he now has over 25 years of youth and high school coaching experience. His program has been recognized as one of the top high school programs in the nation and he has sent numerous student-athletes to the collegiate and pro level during his time on the sidelines. Bridges has been honored as the Trentonian’s Sports Person of the Year in 2017, as well as being inducted into his alma mater’s Hall of Fame.

Bridges has earned a multitude of badges and licenses through numerous coaching education programs and completed his Master’s degree in Educational Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated with high honors. Bridges is the co-founder of Next Level Soccer Academy (NLSA) based in New Jersey that offers youth playing opportunities for boys and girls throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

During his time as a mentor to student-athletes, Bridges has worked with hundreds of student-athletes and their families in several sports to help identify and provide opportunities to pursue a successful academic and athletic career. He has worked with college and high school coaches, college counselors, agents, club directors, and consultants during his time. He has built strong connections through his passion and dedication to providing opportunities for all those interested in pursuing their sport at a new level.