Expert Coaching in South Charlotte 
Our South Charlotte and Carolina locations are home to professional coaches, bringing a wealth of experience and a personalized approach to youth soccer. They are committed to teaching the proper, age-appropriate skills / techniques that every rising star needs, ensuring a balance between challenging training and enjoyable play. Under the direction of Coach Greg Henschel, we have developed a club philosophy that brings our players the very best methods to enjoy and progress in the current youth soccer environment.

Coach Henschel has a unique playing and coaching background. He was a two time 1st team all-region selection in college, all-time leader in scoring and points and played four years professionally. He served in his head coaching roles of both Men’s and Women’s NCAA Division 1 & 3 soccer programs for more than two decades, receiving multiple Coach of the Year recognitions for both men’s and women’s teams. He has trained at the Chelsea, and Real Madrid academies in Europe on several occasions. Coach Henschel was recently inducted into the Athletic Department Hall of Fame at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh for his contribution as a student-athlete and University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Hall of Fame for his direction of both their men & women’s soccer programs. Coach Henschel has also been strongly influenced by his family’s sports background. Coach Henschel’s wife Jean is an accomplished collegiate volleyball player. Jean was also a 1st team all-region selection in college and played in two NCAA Final Fours, receiving All-Final Four team recognition. Jean is a high school teacher and has coached multiple boys & girls high school state champion volleyball teams. Coach Henschel and Jean have two teenage daughters who are competitive soccer players currently navigating youth soccer. Their oldest daughter recently earned and accepted a college soccer scholarship.

Coach Henschel’s background gives him a unique perspective of more than two decades of collegiate & youth coaching, as well as parenting his daughters through the youth soccer environment. Coach Henschel believes the experience for both player and parents should be fun. SOCCER IS ALWAYS FUN WITH RISE FC. Coach Henschel recognizes that greater ball mastery and skill, as well as player creativity leads to greatest enjoyment and success. Rise FC players are encouraged to take risks which leads to increased chance of mistakes which are understood to be part of the Rising Stars equation. Coach Henschel has distilled his ideas down to a basic question… What is best for the player and the child? When this question is answered, your child’s success is ensured. Coach Henschel has dedicated a large part of his life to put himself in the position to pursue and answer this basic question for each Rise FC family.