Kenny Laird
From the Badgeto the Bench
A Cop, a Coach, and a Life Spent Building People
“Standards matter, but people matter more.”
Kenny Laird
Looking back, the common thread was always the people.
From the
Badge
to the
Bench
A Cop, a Coach, and a Life Spent Building People
Kenneth Laird
- Player.
- Coach.
- Cop.
- Police chief.
- Club president.
From the
Badge
to the
Bench
A Cop, a Coach, and a Life
Spent Building People
Kenneth Laird
badgetobench.com
01 / 04
Swipe the book to turn the page
01 · The Book
“Different ages.
Different teams.
One responsibility.”
Kenny Laird
A lifetime on soccer fields, and decades in police stations. Player, coach, coaching director, cop, police chief, club president. Looking back, the common thread was always the people.
Coming soon on Amazon
Standards matter, but people matter more.
Kenny Laird
02 · Coaching & Mentorship
Coaching that starts with the person.
Head coach and majority owner of Stars FC, Phoenix's USL League Two club. Kenny offers private coaching and mentorship for competitive athletes, developing coaches, and organizational leaders, focused on confidence, accountability, competitive performance, leadership, and navigating adversity.
Win · Train · Send
Work with Kenny
03 · Talks
Book Kenny to speak.
- Standards matter. People matter.
- Strength is not silence.
- From the badge to the bench.
04 · Forge AI
Build the habit every day.
Character gets built in small daily choices. Forge AI is Kenny’s habit app, with a daily check-in, streaks, and an AI coach that keeps you honest.
Kenny is an owner of Forge AI.
Download on the App Store
05 · About
About Kenny Laird.
For most of his life Kenny Laird has had two jobs at once. Soccer came first, from his first day as a player to head coach, college coach and coaching director. Law enforcement ran right alongside it, from Phoenix police officer to sergeant to police chief, and later built and sold his own company, Canyon Security Specialist and Consulting. The badge and the bench were never separate chapters. They were the same years.
Today he is the founder, president, majority owner and head coach of Stars FC, the Phoenix area’s USL League Two club. His book, From the Badge to the Bench, is coming soon.
- Now
- Founder, president, majority owner & head coach, Stars FC (USL League Two)
- In soccer
- Player from day one; head coach, college coach, coaching director
- In law enforcement
- Phoenix police officer, sergeant, police chief
- In business
- Built and sold Canyon Security Specialist and Consulting (CEO)
- Based in
- Phoenix area, Arizona
- Book
- From the Badge to the Bench · coming soon on Amazon
- Spoke at
- United Soccer Coaches Convention, Philadelphia, 2026
06 · Questions
Questions people ask.
What is From the Badge to the Bench about?
Two lives, lived at the same time. One wore a badge: Phoenix police officer, then sergeant, then police chief at Grand Canyon University. The other never left the sideline: player, head coach, college coach, coaching director, and finally founder of his own USL League Two club. Most people only ever saw one of them. This book puts them side by side and asks what a cop learns from a team of young players, what a coach learns on the street, and why both lives kept coming back to the same job: building people.
When does the book come out?
From the Badge to the Bench: A Cop, a Coach, and a Life Spent Building People is coming soon on Amazon. Add your email to hear the day it’s out.
Who is Kenny Laird?
A cop and a coach, at the same time, for decades. On the badge side, Kenny (Kenneth) Laird went from Phoenix police officer to sergeant to police chief, then built Canyon Security Specialist and Consulting as its CEO and sold it. On the bench side, he went from player to head coach, college coach and coaching director, and today he is the founder, president, majority owner and head coach of Stars FC, a USL League Two club in the Phoenix area.
What is Stars FC?
Stars FC (Stars Futbol Club) is a nonprofit soccer club in Arizona’s Northwest Valley that plays in USL League Two. It joined the league for the 2025 season and gives young players a pathway to the next level. Its motto is Win, Train, Send.
Does Kenny offer coaching or mentorship?
Yes. Kenny offers private coaching and mentorship for competitive athletes, developing coaches, and organizational leaders. Sessions focus on confidence, accountability, competitive performance, leadership, and navigating adversity. Contact Kenny to discuss individual coaching.
Can I book Kenny to speak?
Yes. Kenny speaks to leadership conferences, athletic organizations, law enforcement agencies, universities, and business groups, on leadership, standards and people, and the road from the badge to the bench. In January 2026 he co-presented a session at the United Soccer Coaches Convention in Philadelphia. Ask about a date.
Have a question that isn’t here?
Ask Kenny