2016 NASL Coach Of The Year Tim Hankinson Returns To Indy Eleven

Photo credit: Indy Eleven/Matt Schlotzhauer

Indy Eleven made its first move of the offseason last week by announcing the return of 2016 NASL Coach of the Year Tim Hankinson to the team’s sideline for the 2017 season.

“A year ago we brought Tim Hankinson aboard to provide leadership on the team side of the club and improved results on the field, and he certainly checked both of those boxes,” Indy Eleven owner Ersal Ozdemir said. “The Indy Eleven family is excited to continue working with Coach Hankinson as he helps the team towards more success in 2017.”

Hankinson led a remarkable turnaround for Indiana’s Team in 2016, starting his tenure with a 13-game unbeaten streak that included capturing the NASL Spring Season title, the first title in the team’s three-year history.

Indy Eleven went unbeaten in its 19 home games in official competition in Hankinson’s first year at the helm (16W-3D-0L), including a 1-0 win over FC Edmonton in The Championship Semifinal on Nov. 5 in the team’s postseason debut, played in front of a sold-out crowd at Carroll Stadium.

“A fire was lit with how the 2016 season ended in The Championship Final, and that will serve as a burning motivation for what will come in 2017,” Hankinson said. “Continuity is important, so I am looking forward to keeping the core of last year’s squad and building on the foundation of success it achieved. At the same time we do need to grow tactically and add new faces that will bolster our play on the field and the tremendous relationship we’ve built with our fans.”

Indy Eleven shattered club records in wins (15) and points (55), and Hankinson helped the squad all the way to a second-place finish in the NASL Combined Standings. Hankinson’s side dueled the New York Cosmos to a hard-fought 0-0 draw in The Championship Final, eventually dropping the result in penalty kicks.

Indy Eleven is the latest stop on a now 37-year coaching journey that has seen Hankinson lead teams at every level of the sport in the United States – including now three-plus seasons in the NASL and nine years in MLS – and taken him across the globe. Click here to read Hankinson’s extensive bio, which spans from his successful start in the collegiate ranks to stops domestically and internationally across four continents.