UNCW women’s soccer head coach
Chris Neal has announced the promotion of
Dr. Colin Barnes to Associate Head Coach ahead of the 2024 season.
“Colin deserves this promotion, and I am very happy for him. On top of being a highly respected professional in our industry, he is a relentless worker behind the scenes,” said Neal. “The amount of above-and-beyond hours he puts in, on behalf of our student-athletes and team, is astonishing.
Barnes recently completed his fifth season with the Seahawks in 2025. Barnes helped UNCW capture its third regular season title in program history during 2025 campaign. The Seahawks finished with an 11-3-4 overall record and the No. 1 overall seed for the CAA tournament with 23 points and a 7-0-2 record in CAA play. UNCW's unbeaten record during conference play marked the first time in program history that the Seahawks finished a full slate of conference play undefeated.
The Seahawks kept six clean sheets during the 2025 season and finished the year with a .722 win percentage, surpassing the mark of .719 set in 2021 for the best single-season win percentage in program history. UNCW also ended the 2025 season unbeaten in 10 straight matches, tying the all-time program record which was set during the 2004 campaign.
During the 2025 season, five Seahawks earned all-league honors. Forward Hailey Longwell became the first player in program history to be named CAA Attacking Player of the Year after leading the CAA with six goals and 15 points during conference play. Sophomore defender Ava Chuderewicz was named to the All-CAA first team. Defender Rachel Fry, goalkeeper Morgan Hobbs, and midfielder Ava Vaughan all earned a spot on the league's second team.
A veteran coach with over two decades of playing and coaching experience, Barnes was recently named a South Region technical advisor for the United States Youth Soccer Association’s Olympic Development Program.
”He has a very unique way of successfully executing his teaching, analytical, playing, and tactical experiences while also developing meaningful and professional relationships with our student-athletes.”
A native of Hoover, Ala., Barnes has coached, taught, or played at the youth, collegiate, professional, and international levels and worked with U.S. Soccer as a Coach Educator. Before Wilmington, Barnes spent four years as a Senior Lecturer of Football Coaching at Solent University in Southampton, England.
Barnes was a four-year letter winner at UNC Asheville from 1998 to 2001. He was named to the Big South First-Team as a junior and senior after leading the Bulldogs with 12 assists across two seasons. The Bulldogs increased their win total in each of Barnes’ four seasons, culminating with the program’s first Big South regular season championship in his senior year.
Barnes spent the 2002 season with the Wilmington Hammerheads, where he helped the Port City squad to its first USL D-3 Pro League Finals appearance. While with the Hammerheads, Barnes also began his coaching career with the Cape Fear Youth Association.
In 2003, Barnes and Neal co-founded the Port City Soccer Club, where he served as the Director of Coaching, coordinating 240 recreational players and 30 select players.
Following Barnes’ Wilmington beginnings, he became the Academy Director for the Peachtree City FC (2004-06) in Peachtree City, Ga., before briefly joining the Chicago Magic SC in 2006. Barnes returned to the south as a Technical Director for Concorde Fire SC in Atlanta, Ga., in late 2006 and spent the next five years in the Georgia capital.
After a decade in youth soccer, Barnes ventured into collegiate coaching as a graduate assistant at Columbus State in 2011. In 2016, Barnes joined Alabama’s staff as a volunteer assistant coach and spent three seasons under Crimson Tide coach Wes Hart before moving to Southampton in 2019.
Barnes earned his Bachelor of Science in Atmospheric Sciences from UNC Asheville in May 2002. In December 2013, he graduated from Columbus with a master’s in teaching. Barnes completed his Ph.D. in Sport Pedagogy at Alabama in 2022.
Barnes resides in Wilmington with his wife, Jessica, and dog, Lucy.
