PEORIA (25News Now) – Several premier club sports are coming to the Hilltop next year, and one sport launching this fall has selected its coach.
The Women’s Soccer Premier Club Team will be led by Matt Blackford, a coach the university said is highly respected with a long history of success in Central Illinois.
Blackford is considered a leader and mentor with a remarkable reputation, shared Director of Premier Club Sports Craig Dahlquist.
“He is the ideal person to establish our Women’s Soccer Premier Club and build a program that reflects Bradley’s values,” said Dahlquist.
Blackford currently serves as Director of Development at Bradley, working with alums and donors. Before joining Bradley, he worked at Peoria Notre Dame as director of athletics. He also served as head coach of the girls’ soccer team at Peoria Notre Dame for 12 seasons, during which he won 11 conference championships.
The move to hire Blackford comes just weeks after the university named Maddy Maloof the head coach for women’s hockey.
For more information about new club sports at Bradley, visit their website.
You can watch 25News – any newscast, anywhere – streaming LIVE on 25NewsNow.com, our 25News mobile app, and on our WEEK 25News SmartTV streaming app. Learn more about how you can get connected to 25News streaming live news here.
Copyright 2026 WEEK. All rights reserved.