From Grenada To Amherst: Swan Applies Past Experiences To Coaching Role At Daemen

Since he was hired in 2019, the approach Bediako Swan has brought to the Daemen University men’s soccer program expands far beyond the win-loss column. Yes, there is a focus on winning, Swan said, but there is a larger emphasis on developing talent and preparing these young men for life after soccer. Swan’s competitive nature and the drive to succeed draws back to his childhood on the Caribbean Island of Grenada and has become even more of his identity years later while now living in Western New York. Balancing his own experiences on the pitch and letting his Daemen players progress themselves is the tightrope Swan walks on every season.

And there’s a reason why he hasn’t gone completely one way or the other in his coaching career.

"Because, I think, the important thing for coaches is – or at least that’s how I see it – is, you have to understand, our job is to teach and guide,” said Swan. “It’s not necessarily to dictate. The players dictate what they want to achieve. It’s our job to, kind of guide them there, to our experiences first, as we were players and then as we are coaches ourselves.”

This past December, Swan returned to Granada on a business trip to watch an Under-20 Finals tournament, featuring some of the top young soccer players in the country. It allowed him to build the foundation for future networking and recruitment of Grenadian players to Daemen. The evolution of social media as a networking tool in recent years has become a game-changer for Grenada’s soccer culture – a drastic overhaul compared to the culture Swan had as a player while growing up there.

“Back from when I played to now, I think, the main thing that improved was the coaching,” said Swan. “I would say even more coaches are qualified and understand the different phases of coaching, and so, I think, the players are benefiting a lot, and, you know, now more players are getting even more opportunities to go places. Even when I was down there, there were a few kids that I liked but were like, ‘Well, we’re trying to send them to Germany if they can make it professionally.’ And, I mean, back when I played, that was not even close to even being thought about.”

Receiving his first pair of cleats from his parents, Prescott and Lucille, around the age of four sparked young Bediako’s interest in playing the sport. Watching Brazil’s national team compete in the FIFA World Cup, especially striker Ronaldo, inspired him and his friends to try and replicate the skills they watched on TV. Along with cricket and track and field, soccer is one of Grenada’s most popular sports. Like many small cities here in the United States, if there was an event going on, the entire Grenadian community would watch and support.

“Anything that was within the community is a community event,” added Swan. “And, you always have to [represent] your community and it’s a strong passion. And, as a kid, it just fuels you to, you know, try to be better.”

Besides watching as much professional soccer as possible, Swan’s passion for sports came from his time as the youngest of six brothers – one of whom later became a track and field athlete at Wichita State University. Playing soccer against his stronger, more physical brothers formed what Swan described as his “underdog” mentality toward life. 

“They would treat me like they’d treat anyone else their age,” said Swan. “So, that just helped me, I guess, in the long run, don’t really care about who I’m playing against or even, you could say, coaching against. I’ve always had that, ‘I might lose but we’re going to fight until the end.’"

Even being omitted from the Grenada Under-16 National Team fueled his never quit attitude and led him to trying out again – this time for the U-20 National Team – when many would have given up their dreams of competing at the national and international levels.

“I think it’s one of the most important things of my life,” said Swan. “You know, I get to say I represented [my country]. And not to say that sports is the only form that you can represent your country because I honestly think, wherever you go, whatever job you do, based on how you promote yourself, you are a representation of your country and of your community.”

To this day, Swan is in contact with his former teammates, carrying over the togetherness those teams had on the pitch. Even when he’s not home, his parents are always asked, “Hey, what’s going on with Bedi?”

“It was a very bonding experience, especially, when you realize that people come from different areas, different communities, but, you know, we all had one thing in common – and that was the passion for soccer,” said Swan.

Shortly after, Swan continued his soccer and academic career in the United States, first as a junior college in Atlanta – “The only thing that was surprising for me was the fact that it was colder than I thought,” said Swan – and then at Division II Davis & Elkins College in West Virginia. It was around 2012, Swan said, that coaching came into the picture when he helped one of his teammates coach a club team. Coaching then became his passion, and after moving his way up the ranks, including his previous stop as a goalkeepers coach at Division I St. Francis University (Pa.), Swan was hired as the sixth coach in Daemen’s modern era in February 2019.

 “It’s, kind of, just a love bug that bit me, in the sense that, you know, just reflecting on my life journey through soccer, I think, the coaches I played under were very influential from childhood all the way up,” said Swan. “It kind of started as a way to give back, so, you know, I started to take it a little bit more seriously talking to soccer coaches, and eventually, I think that the way I did things caught a few people’s eyes and those people gave me opportunities.”

Swan is also grateful for the work Marlon Glean did not only for himself but many Grenadian players throughout the years in obtaining college scholarships and ultimately once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Without Glean’s work, Swan likely would not have had experiences such as meeting the uncle of former Major League Soccer star and fellow Grenadian Shalrie Joseph or competing at the NCAA level and earning an undergraduate degree.

 “Overall, as Grenadians, we always try to help each other because we know how important it is, not just for the individuals but just giving the opportunity for your fellow countrymen,” said Swan.

The Fall 2021 season marked Swan’s third season coaching the Wildcats. Despite universal challenges brought on by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Swan has Daemen trending in the right direction. After a winless season in 2019, Daemen men’s soccer finished 3-2 in an abbreviated season in spring 2021 and followed with a 5-11 record this past fall. The five wins were the most in a single season for the program since 2017 (7-11 record.)

“With the COVID year, (the players) pretty much didn’t play as much as we would normally,” said Swan on the team’s unprecedented year. “That year (Fall 2021 season), they actually had a full-blown college experience in soccer, and, I think, you know, after the season and reflecting on in the individual meetings, I think, they understood some of the things I was trying to tell them, in terms of, the expectations for the season, and, you know, obviously, competing against the other teams. So, where I think our program is right now, we are trying to see what the other step is we can take. You know, we came from zero wins my first year to five wins now. So now it’s, okay, are we working on improving? And again, I think, it’s up to the players. It’s their team. Again, I’m just the one overseeing it.”

While he has learned plenty through his successes, Swan also acknowledged the lesson learns from his shortcomings have been just as beneficial.

“You can always take positives out of, you know, even if the outcome isn’t what you expected or what you had hoped, and you can go back and then work on it and then figure out how you can get better… I remember hearing a saying someone had said, ‘Dreams are free. But goals have costs.’ And the cost of that is, you know, the work you have to put behind it, the sacrifices you have to make. And, there are tough sacrifices that you have to make. 

But if that’s what you’re really passionate about and what you want to do, then you’re going to get the support.”