Soul coach Clint Dolezel gets contract extension

The Soul have agreed to a three-year contract extension with coach Clint Dolezel that keeps him with the team through 2021, the organization announced Thursday

"It feels great," Dolezel said. "Anytime you can get back with a quality organization like the Soul, they are the cream of the crop when it comes to Arena football especially in the last eight years. They do it the right way. They have great ownership, and the fan base is one of the best. For me, it's no other place to be."

Financial terms of the contract were not released.

Dolezel played 13 seasons in the Arena Football League before he moved over to coaching. He has spent the last six seasons with the Soul, taking them to the playoffs every season. Four of those trips led to the Arena Bowl, and two led to a championship. Last season, the team lost to the Baltimore Brigade in a first-round playoff series.

He is 77-32 overall as Soul coach.

"They are one and the same to win every year. That starts with the players," Dolezel said of his short- and long-term goals with the team. "It's a credit to our organization. They get me what I need as far as the pieces to make things work there. Our practice facilities, our fan base, the food deals we have for the players, all those go hand in hand to be able to put a good product on the field, and again, it starts at the top."

The Soul signed Beau Bell, a former linebacker, on Tuesday as the team's general manager and assistant coach. Dolezel welcomes Bell's expertise on defense and with the offensive and defensive lines.

"I know he knows the game. I know he knows player personnel," Dolezel said. "Adding him on was definitely the right move for us and for our team."