John Sisterson

John Sisterson

  • Title:
    Head Coach
  • Phone:
    805-965-0581 Ext 2945
  • Email:
    sisters@sbcc.edu
  • Year:
    19th Season

WSC North Coach of the Year 2011, 2014, 2017, 2018
CCCAA Southern California Coach of the Year 2017


Coach Sisterson will start his 19th year as the head coach of Women's Soccer in 2023.

The Vaqueros have had a dominant run under Sisterson, finishing in the top three of the WSC North for 16 consecutive seasons with first-place finishes in 2011, 2014 and 2017-19. They were third in the state in 2016, state runner-up in 2017 and fifth in the state in 2018 and 2019.

In 2019, the Vaqueros went 13-7-4 and won their third straight WSC North crown with a 9-1-2 record. They went 9-1-3 in their last 13 games and posted two playoff wins before falling to eventual state champion Santiago Canyon in the Southern Cal Regional Finals. It was their fourth straight appearance in the Southern Cal Finals.

Freshman Mekaylla White led the WSC with 19 goals and was named WSC North Offensive Player of the Year. White was the third straight SBCC athlete to be named Player of the Year, joining Kat Sheehy (2017) and Isabella Viana (2018).


The Vaqueros went 16-3-2 in 2018 for the 4th-best percentage in school history (.810). They were 9-0-1 in the WSC North and claimed their fourth title in the last eight years. Sisterson earned his fourth Coach of the Year honor. SBCC was a perfect 10-0 at home and extended its home win streak to 23 in a row.

They reached the Southern Cal Regional Finals for the third straight year and finished fifth in the state, dropping a 1-0 heartbreaker at Santiago Canyon on a goal in the 103rd minute.

Sisterson is 213-74-54 (.742) and has guided the Vaqueros to Final Four appearances in 2016 and 2017. His teams have made the playoffs for 10 straight seasons and 13 of the last 14 years. John, who also coaches the Vaquero men's team, picked up his 350th combined win on Oct. 8, 2019 in a 3-0 men's home win over Citrus.

Sisterson's combined overall record at SBCC is 385-150-102 (.720). His WSC North record with the women is a sparkling 117-26-30 (.818) with five conference titles (2011, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019) and four runner-up finishes. His teams are 60-9-15 in the last eight years of WSC play.

The 2017 Vaqueros enjoyed the best season in school history, going unbeaten in their first 22 games and setting school records for wins (21) and win streak (21). They reached their first state final and came up a goal short, falling to unbeaten Fresno City 2-1 in the championship game at American River College in Sacramento.

They finished with the best record in school history (21-1-1) and scored 77 goals while allowing an all-time low of six goals in 23 games. They were ranked No. 1 in the state for most of the season and got as high as No. 2 in the nation before finishing at No. 3. The Vaqueros were 11-0 at home, outscoring their opponents 37-0.

John led the Vaquero men and women to WSC North titles in 2017 and both were unbeaten (17-0-1 combined). Their overall combined record was 38-2-5. The 2017 men and women became the first California Community College to go undefeated in the same regular season (women 17-0-1, men 15-0-4).

Sisterson was named WSC North Coach of the Year for the women and CCCAA Southern California Coach of the Year. Katherine Sheehy was selected as WSC North Player of the Year. Sheehy and Amber Mulligan were chosen as All-Southern Cal Region and All-American.

Sisterson has coached six All-Americans (men and women) in his SBCC tenure.

The 2016 Vaquero women finished third in the WSC North and were seeded 14th. Then, they got on a roll and won four straight playoff games (the last three on the road) to reach the State Final 4 for the first time ever. They fell to Diablo Valley 2-0 in the semifinals, ending the year with a 16-7-1 record. The 16 wins tied for the most in John Sisterson's 12 seasons and were the second-most in school history.

The Vaqueros ended the 2016 season ranked No. 6 in the nation by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).

In 2014, Sisterson guided the Vaquero women to their second WSC North title in history and first outright championship with an unbeaten 9-0-3 record. It was the first time an SBCC women's soccer team had gone undefeated in conference play.

The 2014 squad won its last eight games in the regular season, went 9-0-1 at home and finished with a 14-3-5 record.

He also guided the 2011 squad to its first conference championship. John's conference record is 85-23-24 for an outstanding winning percentage of .735. He won his second WSC North Coach of the Year award in 2014 and Sandy Grimaldo was named Player of the Year, giving the Vaqueros 3 of the last 4 WSC Players of the Year.

In 2011, he was named Coach of the Year after leading the women to their first WSC North title with an 11-1 record. It was a banner year as the men's team, which he also coaches, claimed the WSC title as well. It's the first time the same school won both titles in the same year and Sisterson was also named Coach of the Year on the men's side.

The women's team won its first WSC North crown in 2011. John guided the Vaquero men to WSC championships in 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2017. Coach Sisterson was the Western State Conference Coach of the Year for both men and women in 2011. He was also voted 2008 WSC men's Coach of the Year.

Born in England, John has vast experience in coaching. He was the head coach for the U.S. Women's Deaf Olympic Team from 2003-09. The team won the gold medal in the Deaf Olympics in Melbourne, Australia in January 2005, beating Russia in the Olympic Stadium to cap a perfect 7-0 run in Olympic competition.

John has also coached at the University of Texas A&M, the high school level, ODP, and in Europe. Coach Sisterson was involved in Club Soccer as a Director of Coaching and Player Development in Atlanta, Georgia. He is also an Associate Staff Coach for the National Soccer Coaches of America. John holds NSCAA (Premier and Advanced), UEFA (Europe), FA (England), and USSF Coaching licenses. Coach Sisterson has Masters and Bachelors Degrees in Physical Education and is a member of the National Soccer Coaches of America.

John has 4 children -- Kate, Jack, Lisa and Liam. Jack played at Newcastle United and Leeds United Pro Academy teams and also at the University of Louisville in the Big East where he graduated in Equine Science. Jack was the assistant trainer of 2012 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner I'll Have Another. He was also the assistant trainer for 2016 Kentucky Derby winner, Nyquist.