Last Updated on September 25, 2026 by Mike

Yoann Damet is a French professional football coach who serves as head coach of St. Louis CITY SC in Major League Soccer. Born on March 19, 1990, in Marseille, France, Damet has built an unusual coaching career that began when he was only 16 years old and eventually took him from youth football in Burgundy to Canada and the United States.
Compared with his well-documented coaching career, Damet keeps his family life extremely private. One important detail about his childhood has been publicly confirmed: his father worked as a gendarme in France, and the family’s relocation from Marseille to Burgundy when Yoann was three years old was connected to his father’s job. Damet has also explained that football was not originally a major part of his family life. However, the names of his parents, information about possible siblings and details concerning a wife, girlfriend or children have not been reliably disclosed. Here is what is known about Yoann Damet’s family as of now.
Who Is Yoann Damet’s Wife or Girlfriend?
Yoann Damet has not publicly confirmed a wife or girlfriend through a reliable source.
Despite spending more than a decade working in professional football in North America, Damet has kept his romantic life almost completely separate from his public career. Interviews with him tend to focus on coaching, leadership, player development and the experiences that brought him from France to Major League Soccer.
Official profiles published by St. Louis CITY SC, Columbus Crew, LA Galaxy, FC Cincinnati and CF Montréal do not identify a spouse or romantic partner.
There has also been no established public wedding announcement involving the French coach. For that reason, individuals who may appear around Damet privately should not be described as his partner based solely on social-media activity or surname searches.
As of now, Damet’s relationship status remains private.
Is Yoann Damet Married?
No reliable public source currently confirms that Yoann Damet is married.
Damet has given numerous interviews during his coaching career, including extensive profiles in France and the United States, without publicly discussing a wife.
The absence of public information does not necessarily mean that he is single. It means simply that Damet has chosen not to make that part of his life a significant element of his public profile.
Does Yoann Damet Have Children?
There is no reliable public information confirming that Yoann Damet has children.
Profiles examining his background, his move to North America and his rise through MLS coaching have not identified him as the father of a son or daughter.
As of now, no children can therefore be publicly confirmed for Damet without relying on speculation.
Who Are Yoann Damet’s Parents?
The names of Yoann Damet’s parents have not been reliably disclosed in established football coverage.
However, information about his father’s occupation provides an important explanation for Damet’s childhood journey from southern France to Burgundy.
Damet was born in Marseille but did not spend much of his childhood there. When he was approximately three years old, his father was transferred to Burgundy for work.
A major French regional profile published in 2026 identifies Damet’s father as a gendarme, a member of France’s national gendarmerie.
The family consequently settled in Burgundy, where Yoann spent approximately 18 years between the ages of three and 21.
Yoann Damet’s Father
Yoann Damet’s father was a French gendarme. His name has not been reliably published.
Because members of the gendarmerie can be reassigned geographically, his father’s profession directly affected where the family lived.
Damet has explained that his father was transferred to Burgundy when Yoann was around three years old. Although Damet had been born in Marseille, Burgundy therefore became the region he considered home throughout most of his childhood and early adulthood.
The family lived in areas including Gevrey-Chambertin before Damet eventually established himself around Beaune.
Interestingly, his father’s professional background was unrelated to football. Damet has specifically said that football was not something that had a significant place within his family before he became interested in the sport himself.
Was Yoann Damet’s Father a Footballer?
There is no reliable evidence that Yoann Damet’s father played professional football or worked as a coach.
In fact, Damet has explained that football was not particularly present within his household during his early childhood.
His interest developed independently, largely because of the 1998 FIFA World Cup rather than because a parent pushed him toward the game.
That makes Damet’s eventual professional coaching career particularly unusual. Unlike many coaches who grow up within football families, he developed his passion after discovering the game for himself.
Yoann Damet’s Mother
Yoann Damet’s mother’s identity has not been reliably disclosed through authoritative public sources.
Major profiles detailing his childhood in Marseille and Burgundy focus on his father’s work and Yoann’s growing interest in football but do not identify his mother by name or occupation.
There is therefore not enough verified information to provide a meaningful biography of her.
Because she remains a private individual, names found through genealogy databases or social-media accounts should not be attached to Damet without direct verification.
Does Yoann Damet Have Siblings?
There is currently no reliable public information establishing whether Yoann Damet has brothers or sisters.
His detailed interviews about childhood, education and football development do not identify siblings, while official club biographies focus almost exclusively on his professional career.
This does not prove that Damet is an only child. It simply means that no brother or sister can currently be identified with sufficient confidence from authoritative sources.
As with his mother and romantic life, Damet appears to have kept his siblings, if any, outside the public attention surrounding his coaching career.
Yoann Damet’s Family Was Not Originally a Football Family
One of the most interesting details about Damet’s upbringing is that football did not initially have a major presence within his family.
In a long interview about his early life, Damet explained that before the age of eight he had little interest in football.
That changed dramatically during the 1998 FIFA World Cup, which France hosted and won.
Damet was eight years old at the time, and the tournament had an enormous effect on him. He subsequently registered with a football club for the 1998-99 season and began studying the sport more seriously.
From that point onward, football became increasingly important in his life even though it had not been inherited from his parents.
Growing Up Between Marseille and Burgundy
Damet was born in Marseille on March 19, 1990.
His birthplace later gave his story an interesting football connection because his family had lived near the Stade Vélodrome, home of Olympique de Marseille.
However, Damet moved away when he was so young that he did not initially understand how close his childhood home had been to one of France’s most famous football stadiums.
After his father’s transfer, the family settled in Burgundy.
Damet still returned to Marseille periodically, but he has consistently described Burgundy as the region where he truly grew up.
Yoann Damet Discovers Football After France 1998
France’s victory at the 1998 World Cup transformed Damet’s relationship with football.
Before the tournament, the sport had not been an important part of his family life. Afterward, he became fascinated by it.
He joined a club and soon became interested not only in playing but also in understanding how teams were trained.
That curiosity would prove more important than his playing ability.
Damet eventually recognized that he was unlikely to build a top-level professional career as a player, but coaching provided another way to dedicate his life to the game.
Yoann Damet Started Coaching at 16
Damet began coaching when he was only 16 years old.
While still a teenager, he worked with the youth teams of Beaune FC, spending several years coaching young players.
The experience introduced him to the part of football that would ultimately become his profession: teaching.
Damet has credited coaches from his own development years with inspiring his interest in helping players improve. One of the most influential was Cédric Ducret at Beaune.
Damet later described discovering a genuine passion for transmitting knowledge to younger players.
How Beaune Became Important to Yoann Damet
Beaune became one of the most important places in Damet’s early life.
After growing up in Burgundy, he became increasingly involved with the local football environment and began helping at the football school on Wednesdays.
He found that he enjoyed coaching and recognized that there was an opportunity to build expertise in player development.
Rather than viewing coaching as something to pursue only after finishing a playing career, Damet effectively made the transition while still young enough to be a youth player himself.
Yoann Damet’s Education
Damet also pursued formal education related to sport.
After completing school, he studied STAPS, the French university program focused on sport and physical activity.
He ultimately earned a degree in sports training with a specialization in football from the University of Burgundy in Dijon in 2011.
At the same time, he continued earning French football coaching qualifications.
This combination of academic education and practical coaching experience became particularly important because Damet did not have the professional playing résumé that many coaches use to enter elite football.
From Beaune to Jura Sud and Dijon
Damet continued building his coaching résumé in France through youth roles with several clubs.
After Beaune, he worked with Jura Sud Foot, where he coached U-15 and U-17 players.
He later became involved with Dijon FCO’s academy, including work with the club’s U-11 team and other youth-development responsibilities.
These experiences helped Damet develop the technical background that would eventually allow him to pursue opportunities overseas.
Leaving France for North America
Damet’s career changed dramatically after he began visiting Montréal.
He originally traveled to Canada to visit a friend rather than to accept a football job.
During those visits, however, he met people working within Montréal’s soccer community and began building professional connections.
In 2014, CF Montréal—then known as the Montreal Impact—gave him an opportunity within its academy.
The move took Damet away from France and began what became a long-term career in North American soccer.
Yoann Damet at CF Montréal
Damet initially worked as the Montreal Impact’s Pre-Academy coordinator, U-11 coach and assistant fitness coach.
His responsibilities expanded as the organization recognized his work.
By late 2015, Montréal appointed him head coach of its U-18 academy team.
His time in Canada introduced Damet to a different soccer culture and allowed him to earn additional coaching qualifications outside France.
It also helped establish the network that eventually brought him into senior professional football.
Yoann Damet Joins FC Cincinnati
In 2017, Damet left Montréal to become an assistant coach with FC Cincinnati.
Cincinnati was still competing in the USL at the time but was rapidly developing into an organization with Major League Soccer ambitions.
Damet remained with the club as it transitioned into MLS.
His tactical work and experience eventually placed him in an unexpected position when Cincinnati made a coaching change during the 2019 season.
Becoming the Youngest Head Coach in MLS History
FC Cincinnati appointed Damet interim head coach in May 2019.
He was only 29 years old, making him the youngest person at the time to serve as a head coach in Major League Soccer.
Damet won his first MLS match in charge, adding another distinction to his early coaching résumé.
He later served a second period as Cincinnati’s interim head coach in 2020.
The experience gave him senior-team responsibility years before most coaches of his generation receive such an opportunity.
Yoann Damet’s Time With LA Galaxy
After his Cincinnati years, Damet continued developing within American soccer.
LA Galaxy appointed him head coach of LA Galaxy II in January 2022.
He spent most of that season leading the organization’s second team before being promoted to Greg Vanney’s first-team coaching staff in August.
The move allowed Damet to work closely with established MLS players while maintaining the player-development focus that had defined much of his career.
Winning Trophies With Columbus Crew
Damet joined Columbus Crew’s coaching staff in 2023 under head coach Wilfried Nancy.
The move became one of the most successful periods of his career.
Columbus won MLS Cup in 2023 and followed that achievement by winning the Leagues Cup in 2024.
The Crew also reached additional major finals during Damet’s time on the staff, further strengthening his reputation as one of MLS’s promising young coaches.
After three seasons in Columbus, another opportunity arrived—this time as a permanent MLS head coach.
Yoann Damet Becomes St. Louis CITY SC Head Coach
St. Louis CITY SC appointed Damet as head coach on December 16, 2025.
The position represented his first permanent head-coaching job with an MLS first team after his previous interim spells with Cincinnati.
St. Louis highlighted Damet’s extensive MLS experience, his player-development background and his success as part of Columbus Crew’s coaching staff.
The club also emphasized his communication skills and focus on relationships, characteristics that had been central to his coaching approach since his earliest work with youth players in France.
Yoann Damet’s Coaching Staff in St. Louis
Damet began shaping St. Louis CITY SC around a staff containing several people with whom he had previous professional connections.
David Sauvry joined as an assistant after previously working under Damet with LA Galaxy II. The two had known each other professionally for approximately two decades.
Former MLS midfielder Marcelo Sarvas also joined as an assistant after having worked within the LA Galaxy system during Damet’s time there.
The staff reflects Damet’s emphasis on trust and longstanding professional relationships, even though he has generally kept his private family relationships outside the media spotlight.
Why Is So Little Known About Yoann Damet’s Family?
Damet has spent much of his adult life in public professional environments but has never built his profile around his personal relationships.
Interviews are usually detailed when discussing his education, football philosophy, early coaching years and professional ambitions, yet they reveal very little about his home life.
As a result, his father’s occupation is one of the few firmly documented family details.
Responsible profiles should preserve that distinction rather than attaching names to his mother, siblings or romantic partner based on unverified online profiles.
Frequently Asked Questions About Yoann Damet’s Family
Who is Yoann Damet’s wife?
No wife has been publicly confirmed for Yoann Damet through a reliable source. His marital status remains private.
Does Yoann Damet have a girlfriend?
Damet has not publicly identified a girlfriend through established football or media sources.
Does Yoann Damet have children?
No children have been reliably confirmed for Yoann Damet as of now.
Who is Yoann Damet’s father?
Damet’s father’s name has not been reliably disclosed, but French reporting confirms that he worked as a gendarme. His work led the family to relocate from Marseille to Burgundy when Yoann was approximately three years old.
Who is Yoann Damet’s mother?
The identity and professional background of Yoann Damet’s mother have not been reliably published.
Does Yoann Damet have siblings?
No brothers or sisters have been reliably identified through authoritative public sources, so his sibling situation remains private.
Did Yoann Damet grow up in a football family?
No. Damet has specifically explained that football was not particularly present within his family when he was young. His passion developed after watching France win the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
Where was Yoann Damet born?
Yoann Damet was born in Marseille, France, on March 19, 1990.
Where did Yoann Damet grow up?
Damet spent most of his childhood and early adulthood in Burgundy after his father’s work caused the family to move there when Yoann was three. He lived in the region until approximately age 21, including time around Gevrey-Chambertin and Beaune.
When did Yoann Damet start coaching?
Damet began coaching at only 16 years old, initially working with youth players at Beaune FC.
Which club does Yoann Damet coach?
As of now, Yoann Damet is the head coach of St. Louis CITY SC in Major League Soccer. He was appointed in December 2025 ahead of the club’s 2026 season.

Ronald Mike is a football writer covering the English Premier League, providing match analysis, tactical insight, and coverage of key rivalries and title races across the season.
