Andrew Pelletier has served as the director of Seacoast United Maine Sports club since 2015 and has been the head coach of the Falmouth girls soccer team since 2012.
Andrew Pelletier has been hired at St. Dominic Academy’s athletic director. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal
Only a special offer could get the 32-year-old to leave both jobs.
When the St. Dominic Academy athletic director position became available, Pelletier jumped at the chance and applied right away. It has been his goal to become an AD since graduating from Thomas College.
St. Dom’s announced this week that it hired Pelletier to lead the Saints’ athletic department.
“I honestly couldn’t be more excited,” Pelletier said. “When I went through this process, the very first day I saw the spot open, I put my application in. I was excited to get an interview, and then when I found out that the position was offered to me.
“It’s always leaving a job that you love, and I love Seacoast, and every fall I get excited for Falmouth, so it took a lot of excitement to go to St. Dom’s to leave where I was at. I get to meet everyone and see how I can make this the best experience possible.”
J.P. Yorkey, the outgoing St. Dom’s athletic director and principal of the school’s Lewiston campus, is excited to have Pelletier lead the Saints’ sports programs.
“He’s a good hire for us,” Yorkey said. “Our top choice out of a strong applicant pool.”
“He’s got some significant leadership experience at the statewide level, with Seacoast United, and is a very accomplished coach,” Yorkey added. “He’s got a good blend. He’s worked in the private sector with SU, he has great experience in building programs but understands the ins and outs of it.”
Yorkey was hired as St. Dom’s athletic director in 2016. He has taken on roles in addition to athletic director over the past few years as the school has undergone a few administrative reorganizations. He was the interim high school principal in 2020 — he also was the girls basketball coach that winter, then guided the school through the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic — the middle school principal in 2020-21 and then vice principal and athletic director this past school year.
Hiring Pelletier gives the Saints’ sports programs a full-time athletic director, and allows Yorkey to give his full attention to St. Dom’s pre-K to fifth grade students and teachers.
“I am now just the principal of the elementary school,” Yorkey said. “It is a 100-percent positive move. I love St. Dom’s, it’s great, and I am willing to do whatever is necessary.”
Pelletier was hired as a coach for Seacoast in 2011 before becoming the girls premier director in 2013 and, eventually, the director of the program’s Maine club sports. The Poland resident has connections with St. Dom’s through Seacoast athletes who have attended the school, and he said he has known Yorkey for a few years.
“I jumped into a position at Seacoast and went up the ranks there,” Pelletier said. “My family, my wife and three kids, we moved to Poland three years ago, and it’s a position that is closer to home and an opportunity to work with great people at St. Dom’s. I’ve known a lot of people that have been in the St. Dom’s community. I found the opportunity to work there would be a great opportunity for myself and my family and to find a place to be an athletic director.”
At Seacoast, Pelletier said he managed 40 to 50 teams. That kind of experience with coaches and players has similarities to his new position at St. Dom’s.
“Firstly, I’ve been able to work with parents and families for a long time,” Pelletier said. “Whether it’s on or off the field, I feel like my biggest growth at Seacoast is being able to work with families — and the negative situations that might come, but most are positive. Just being able to work with people and create a culture. My favorite part about this job, or past jobs like this, is being able to make an impact on kids’ lives. I am excited to help kids and put them in the right direction. “
Along with managing athletes and families, scheduling games and practices and facility management are other areas of experience that Pelletier brings to his new job.
Applying what he learned from his time as a head coach at Falmouth (and, before that, a year at Poland Regional High School), Pelletier wants to make sure the athletes and coaches having good experiences at St. Dom’s.
“Although I won’t be coaching, I’ll be able to compare the experiences I’ve had with what coaches working for me will have,” Pelletier said. “I am someone who is players-first, kids-first and making sure their experience will make the coaches have a good experience, and coaches having a good experience will in turn help the players have a good experience.”
Pelletier has a 76-35-15 regular season record as a varsity soccer coach, including 12-1-1 this past season.
Pelletier said he’s planning to meet with people at St. Dom’s over the next few weeks to understand the school and see if any improvements can be made.
“I’m not coming in and looking to change the world immediately,” Pelletier said. “I am going to take a bit of time and see what we do really well and look at where we can improve the experiences for coaches and players. I am going to have a lot of conversations and (will make sure) the changes we need to make are well-thought out. Just gathering a lot of information in the next few weeks.”
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