Vista. CA – The Vista Unified School District is committed to rebuilding the Vista High School football program for the 2023- 24 school year. The rebuilding process is anchored to our unwavering commitment to our district values (Trust, Respect, Collaboration, Equity, and Kindness) and to creating a culture strictly aligned to a code of conduct for all athletes and coaches. To this end, the Human Relations Department spent two months leading a comprehensive process to advertise, interview, reference check, and ultimately hire a new head football coach.
The interview process included two panel interviews. The first was composed of experts in high school football including CIF commissioners, head football coaches, principals, athletic directors, and professional football players.
The second interview panel was composed of representatives from Vista High School including parents,
teachers, coaches, administrators, and classified employees. The application pool was strong, and the participants in both of the panels were thoughtful and thorough in their collaborative efforts to select the candidate who displayed the requisite qualifications necessary to begin the process of rebuilding the Vista High School football program.
Vista High School is pleased to announce the selection of David Fa’atu’iese as the Varsity Head Football Coach. David is a graduate of Vista High School where he played Varsity Football as a Panther. David continued his football career as a Division I collegiate athlete for the University of Montana with a full-ride athletic scholarship. In addition to having a strong football career at the university level, David graduated with a degree in Psychology. David became a first generation college graduate in his family. David worked with youth athletes during summer camps and then continued working as an assistant football coach and trainer at Berthoud High School in Berthoud, Colorado as well as serving as an assistant football coach at Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins, Colorado following college graduation. David has also worked as a substitute teacher while coaching for Fossil Ridge High School. He is excited to continue to coach football at his alma mater and give back to the community that he is proud to be a part of.
Coach Fa’atu’iese is set to begin work on April 21, 2023 as a teacher and coach at Vista High School. He has already developed initial plans for spring training opportunities, tryout procedures, and season practice details.
Coach Fa’atu’iese will reach out to students and families in the coming weeks to schedule an introductory
meeting. Over the next few months, Coach Fa’atu’iese will be working with school administration to build his coaching staff and create systems and structures for the program.
Please join us in welcoming Coach Fa’atu’iese to Vista High School as a member of the Panther family. We are all excited to support our student athletes as they prepare for a great 2023-24 football season.
