Thank You, Sam Laity
The Houston Dash today announced Sam Laity as its new head coach. Laity has served as the Reign’s assistant coach since its inaugural season in 2013, making him the club’s longest tenured first-team staff member. Everyone at OL Reign wishes Laity the best in his new endeavor and extends our deepest gratitude for everything he has done for the Reign, on and off the field.
As the only member of the staff to be with the club from 2013-2022, Laity resides in the company of the Reign greats, the Originals – defender Lu Barnes, midfielder Jess Fishlock and forward Megan Rapinoe. Through his decade long tenure with the club, he witnessed firsthand all of the changes the club went through, both remarkable and challenging.
Through every one of these trials and triumphs, Laity never wavered. His longstanding presence in the locker room served as a grounding force for the club as a whole, and in turn, Laity’s influence greatly helped to develop the winning culture of this club into what it is today.
“Sam has been a staple for this club long before I arrived, and he helped shape a culture of excellence here from the very beginning. It’s exceedingly clear how valuable he was to this club and each player that walked through our doors. He was strongly appreciated. We are very proud of him and we’re excited for him to embrace this new chapter. His impact at OL Reign will always be a part of our successful history," said OL Reign general manager Nick Perera.
The Plymouth, England native joined the club for its inaugural season through a happenstance connection – his friend’s sister had earned a head coaching position with Seattle’s newly formed NWSL side and was looking for an assistant coach. That friend’s sister? Laura Harvey. The duo took their place in charge of the team and the rest is history. With Laity as its assistant coach, the Reign won three NWSL Shields, tied for the most of any team in the league.
The first season of the Reign’s existence was difficult, but Harvey and Laity were up for the challenge. Through a combination of the lowest of lows and highest of highs, the two molded the unique identity and culture of the Reign that still exists today. Notably, the pair documented the greatest improvement by a club in NWSL history when the Reign finished with 18 points in the 2013 season and 54 points in the 2014 season – a 36-point difference. No other team has had a better bounce back season.
All of Laity’s hard work and dedication was thrust into the spotlight during the 2021 season, when he took over as interim head coach for the Reign. With the team in a difficult position, Laity could have easily maintained the path the Reign were on, but instead he stepped up to the moment and in the words of forward Bethany Balcer, “gave the team their identity back.”
“He’s always been a huge part of the team, from 2013 until now, midfielder Jess Fishlock shared after Laity’s stint as interim head coach. “I think that was a huge reason why his time as head coach was super successful. He brought us all into focus. We will all look back on that time and never have the words to really express his importance to us.”
She continued, “Sam’s time as interim head coach was and will be a vital part to this team and organization’s success. He has a deep-rooted history with this club that allowed him to be the perfect person to re direct the club on the path we wanted to be on.”
During Laity’s six matches as interim head coach, the team earned 12 points, a stark contrast to the underwhelming start to the season that delivered only seven points from seven games. Laity also led the team to a three-game win streak – the Reign’s first since the 2016 season. Across those three games, OL Reign scored nine goals – four more than the team scored in all seven games before Laity was appointed interim head coach. Adding to his already impressive resume, OL Reign earned three consecutive NWSL Player of the Week honors under his lead.
In 2022, Laity stepped in as OL Reign’s head coach once more, in a high stakes match against the North Carolina Courage. With head coach Laura Harvey out due to covid protocols, Laity seamlessly stepped up and led the team to an important three points in the race for the 2022 NWSL Shield, which the team eventually won.
In the match, OL Reign initially went down 1-0 on a sixth minute goal from the Courage. However, true to their identity, the Reign fought back. The team scored the equalizer in the 11th minute and only waited 15 minutes before finding the game winner in the 26th minute, marking the Reign’s first ever win in North Carolina.
His performance on the sideline speaks for itself, but off the field, he’s also an undeniably positive force. He embodies the culture of the club in everything he does. From being two-time Climate Rider and advocate for our planet, to simply greeting ever member of the staff with a fist bump and “how are you” at training, Laity’s influence is felt by all those around him.
"Sam has been an amazing ambassador for this club, I am so happy and proud of him. I want to thank Sam for everything he has done for this club, our players and myself for over a decade. Sam has deserved the opportunity to be a head coach in this league for a while now. I’m confident he will do great things with the Dash and wish him nothing but success on this journey,” said OL Reign head coach Laura Harvey.