It is the start of a new era for Newtown High School’s boys’ soccer team.

Charley Amblo, who has extensive coaching and playing experience, takes over as head coach, and he is looking to change the culture of boys’ soccer in town. He is the third coach in as many seasons and does not necessarily have plans to stay for long — he is 54 years old — but is here to have a big impact.

“My goal is to build a program in which I’m not a major cog, and I’m just part of the machinery,” said Amblo, who moved to Newtown with his wife and three children two years ago. “I want to coach as long as I am needed.”

Newtown’s program is starting fresh, with Amblo welcoming all players to try out and having no connection to youth players rising in the ranks.

Part of what Amblo prides himself for is his zero tolerance policy, which he said will apply to players, coaches, and parents alike. Amblo will expect his players to treat opponents, officials, coaches, and parents with respect, he said.

“We’re going to be a classy program. We’re going to keep our mouths shut,” the new coach said.

Amblo has played and coached soccer at all levels, including abroad. He played professionally in Holland, England, Ireland, Belgium, and Canada. The soccer enthusiast got his coaching career started at a young age and has coached for 39 years, logging lots of success along the way. He has guided a high school boys’ squad to a state championship in Vermont and a women’s team to a national title in Poland. Amblo coached four years of women’s soccer at the University of Vermont.

The championships are notable, but something for which Amblo is equally if not more proud of is that many of his past players are now instructing up-and-coming players.

“Dozens of former players are coaching at all levels of the game and directly influencing thousands of other kids,” said Amblo, adding that one of the requirements of his Newtown High players will be to assist in coaching youth soccer players from town once each week.

“That’s a better practice,” Amblo said of his players missing a day on the pitch to assist youth players. “They’re using their brain, and they’re giving back and learning what they don’t know.”

Amblo expects to become involved with the town’s recreational boys’ high school age program as well.

While he wants everybody to have a fair chance to make the team, Amblo’s goal is to have the best players out there representing the program.

“I play Monopoly full-contact at home because I have to win,” he said jokingly.

“We all have different ways of expressing our intensity, and we all have different intensity levels,” said Amblo, recognizing that he will work to get the most from his players regardless of how they display their desire to succeed.

Amblo puts in 25 hours each week working in the special education department at Newtown Middle School. Instruction and helping people learn is a big part of Amblo’s career and lifestyle. So too is soccer.

“I love it. I wish I could play, but I have two bad hips and two bad knees, so I can’t even play recreationally anymore,” he said.

But he can share his knowledge and experiences with Newtown High’s players, and he hopes to help them become better on and off the field.