Hamilton is a volunteer soccer coach for Traverse Bay Area Youth Soccer
TRAVERSE CITY -- Working 50 hours a week at his regular job is nothing compared to the time he spends volunteering on the soccer field, but Jeff Hamilton says there's no where else he'd rather be.
"He is a person that if all of the people in the community could say, 'I want to be like somebody,' you'd want to be like him," said Jeff Hamilton's wife Debbie.
Jeff Hamilton works at Hamilton Fabrics in Traverse City, but he doesn't consider that to be his full-time job, because most of his time is spent on the soccer field.
Hamilton is a volunteer soccer coach for Traverse Bay Area Youth Soccer and coaches two teams with practices at least five hours a week and tournaments every weekend... all weekend. So he has time to himself during the off-season, right?
"I go right from girls in my last game to girls, then I go right into the boys season and start training for the boys' season," said Hamilton. "Then the girls will start training for their high school season right away, so there really isn't an off, off-season."
Hamilton has been coaching for more than 10 years and says he loves watching the kids grow up. He says since he doesn't necessarily have to be there, the kids know he genuinely loves what he does.
"I love soccer and I love how he loves it and just helps us out," said North Storm Team soccer player Carley Buning.
"He's really nice, he really doesn't yell at you if you do something wrong, he just lets you know," said North Storm Team soccer player Maria Rapson. "He just wants to help you to get better."
His family's all involved in soccer, too. His wife said she isn't surprised by her husband's "your town hero" title because she wants to be just like him.
"I want to be a coach like Jeff," said his wife, Debbie. "Jeff is currently helping me to become a coach for next year and what better person than to have your husband who can be your coach and your mentor."
Jeff Hamilton humbly accepts his new title, but says the kids are what matters most to him.
"I think the people, the kids that I've met in the years that I've been doing this it has probably been the most value.
The big soccer tournament is Saturday, September 18 at 7:00 a.m.
160 teams will be coming to Traverse City to compete... that means they need as many volunteers as possible.
