Iowa High School Soccer Coach Receives National Award

Aziz Haffar from Valley named national high school coach of the year

West Des Moines Valley boys soccer coach Aziz Haffar watches game action in the first half against Waukee on Friday, May 16, 2025, at Valley Stadium. / Bryon Houlgrave/For the Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

An Iowa high school boys soccer coach has picked up a national award.

Aziz Haffar, the head boys soccer coach at West Des Moines Valley High School, was named the 2025 National High School Boys Large Public Schools Coach of the Year by the United Soccer Coaches.

Haffar helped guide the Tigers to the Class 4A Iowa boys high school state soccer championship this past spring. 

The award came in one of the six high school categories recognized by the United Soccer Coaches. Other winners included coaches from Vermont, Virginia, Indiana, Ohio and Connecticut.

Under Haffar, Valley has now won six state championships, as he has over 600 career wins in 30-plus seasons leading the Tigers. They scored a 3-0 win in the finals over Johnston for title No. 6.

Aziz Haffar To Be Honored By United Soccer Coaches

Haffar, and the other winners, will be honored at the United Soccer Coaches Awards Ceremony on January 16, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

“I am truly humbled by this honor,” Haffar said. “This award is a testament to all we achieved as a team in 2025. We had a special group of student-athletes who played for each other.

“That team will go down as one of the best to wear Valley orange and black.”

Coach Has Led Valley Since 1991 To Over 600 Wins, Six State Championships

Haffar joined the Tiger program in 1991, and this past season was one of the best under his direction. After losing the season opener, Valley won 21 straight games to finish 21-1 overall, pitching eight shutouts in the final eight games while outscoring the opposition, 21-0, in the five-play playoffs.

“Coach Haffar is truly one of a kind and very deserving of this award,” Valley activities director Zac Sinram said. “Not only is he a winning coach on the field, he cares about the players off the field. The legacy he has built during his tenure is unmatched.”

The Tigers are 619-113-7 under Haffar in 35 seasons, winning state championships in 1996, 1997, 2001, 2006, 2016 and 2025. He has coached nine Gatorade Player of the Year winners, with the 1996 Valley team being ranked No. 1 in the country by United Soccer Coaches.

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