Joe Carter
Boy's Head Coach

Head Boy’s Soccer Coach Joe Carter is a six time state championship coach.  He has received tremendous accolades for his coaching prowess—twice named as the Alabama state and three times Metro Area Coach of the Year by the Birmingham News, recipient of the Region Three (southeast) Coach of the Year, and the National Federation of State High School Associations Coach of the Year for the state of Alabama.  In his high school coaching career Coach Carter has amassed an overall record of 323-165-43.

 

 The “father” of soccer at Spain Park High School, Coach Carter came to the Jaguar program with the purpose of building a qualiity soccer program consistent with the lofty goals of Hoover’s newest high school.  The Jaguars had immediate success under Coach Carter’s tutelage and while only having freshmen and sophomore players, they made the state play-offs in the school’s very first year.  In 2006 the Jaguars returned to the play-offs with a record of 15-8-2, playing in Alabama’s tough 6-A classification.  In 2008 Spain Park made it to the AHSAA Final Four with a season record of 20-7-3.  In the state championship semi-final, they met their biggest area rivals, Oak Mountain.  The team played their hearts out but lost  3-2 in sudden death penalty kicks to the eventual State Champions. In 2011 the team returned to the playoffs but were defeated by cross town rival Hoover High School 2-0.

 

Joe Carter began his soccer career playing at Jupiter Christian High School in Jupiter, Florida.  After graduation, he received a scholarship to play at Warner Southern College in Lake Wales, Florida.  After four years as the team’s goalie, he transferred to Judson College in Elgin, Illinois to finish his education, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Studies and Physical Education.

 

Coach Carter embarked on his Alabama coaching career  at John Carroll Catholic High School, where he experienced tremendous success.  His teams won six AHSAA Boy’s Soccer State Championships, in 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000.  He was subsequently attracted to Spain Park with the vision of initiating a first rate soccer program at what was destined to be a preeminent school.  The Jaguars play in the toughest soccer area in the state of Alabama.  With Vestavia, Mountain Brook, Oak Mountain, Homewood, and Gardendale as their opponents you can easily see why many consider this area the most challenging.

 

Coach Carter and his wife Sarah both teach at Spain Park.  They have two children. Caitlyn is a freshman at Auburn and Devin who is a junior at Spain Park. Devin also plays soccer for the Jaguars.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Matt Hall
Boy's Assistant Coach
 

Coach Matt Hall was persuaded by Coach Joe Carter to join his soccer staff in 2004, and he has played an integral role in the soccer success at Spain Park.  Coach Hall started his coaching career at Pleasant Grove High School.  During his three-year coaching tenure at Pleasant Grove, his teams qualified twice for the AHSAA state playoffs, and reached their first championship game in the 2002 Lakeshore Shootout (Division B).  He also initiated an adult league team so his players that had graduated could continue to participate in the sport they had come to love.  Coach Hall has continued to hone his coaching skills and has attained an Advanced National certificate from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

 

Coach Hall began his playing career in the Birmingham area in youth soccer and made the ODP pool while at Huffman High School in Birmingham.  As a high school player, he was elected team captain and ultimately received the Coach’s Award as a senior.  After graduating high school, he attended Samford University and presided over the Samford Soccer Club.  He led the team in the Southeast Collegiate Soccer League and played against a number of southern public universities such as the University of Alabama, Auburn University, the University of Tennessee, and Ole Miss. Upon completion of his course work at Samford, he graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Education with a concentration in Social Science.

  

He resides in Calera.

 

 
 

         


 
 
Lakeshore Shootout