Julian Richens enters his 13th season as the head coach of the men’s soccer program at Saint Peter's in 2023-24.

Richens continued his strong run at the helm of the men's squad during the 2020-21 campaign. Under his leadership, the Saint Peter's University men's soccer team advanced to the postseason for the third consecutive year, marking the first time in program history that the team has reached three straight MAAC Championship quarterfinals. Under Richens' leadership, the Peacocks placed senior forward Dominic Laws and senior captain Jordan Jowers to the All-MAAC First Team. Additionally, Laws was named the 2020-21 MAAC Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Year, becoming the first Peacock in program history, and only the second MAAC player in conference history, to earn the award in back-to-back years. The Peacocks finished the abbreviated regular season slate with a record of 3-3-1, finishing fourth in the MAAC standings and clinching home field advantage for the opening round of the 2020-21 MAAC Men's Soccer Championship opening round.

Richens' ninth year in Jersey City was hands down his most successful after guiding the Peacocks to their winningest season in a decade and an outright Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) regular season title. Saint Peter's finished the year with a 13-6-0 overall record as well as a program-best 9-1-0 mark in league play. Along the way, Richens and his staff propelled the squad to an appearance in the 2019 MAAC Championship Finals -- their first such appearance since their last title in 2010 -- after a program-record 10-game winning/unbeaten streak. Despite finishing as the league tournament runners-up, the Peacocks still earned their first regular season crown since 2010 and posted the third-highest win total in single-season school history.

For his efforts behind the bench, Richens earned his first MAAC Coach of the Year award since taking command in 2011 by unanimous selection after the team was selected seventh in the preseason coaches' poll. Richens is the fourth Peacock coach in the program's history to earn the honor, following Gerry McKeown (1994), Cesar Markovic (2003), and Guy Abrahamson (2010). But he was not alone in earning major hardware, as Dominic Laws '21 was named the MAAC Offensive Player of the Year. The combination of Richens and Laws marked only the second time in program history in which two Peacocks both received MAAC men's soccer major awards, with the other pair being Assaf Sheleg and Guy Abrahamson, who were the Defensive Player of the Year and Coach of the Year, respectively, in 2010.

Additionally, the Peacocks also led the league with their seven all-conference honorees in 2019, a figure that is tied for the most in a single season in program history (2006). Both Laws and classmate Jordan Jowers '21 also gathered additional postseason hardware as all-region selections by the ECAC and United Soccer Coaches' Association. Saint Peter's also boasted a league-leading 15 MAAC All-Academic Team honorees, as well.

In 2018, Richens helped Saint Peter's post a 5-4-1 MAAC record and 8-9-2 overall record, improving on both MAAC and overall records from the 2017 campaign. Richens' team finished the regular season in sixth place, qualifying for the MAAC playoffs for the first time under his leadership and last time since 2010. During the season, the team had a three-game shutout stretch for the first time since 2010 and scored four goals in consecutive games for the first time since 2007. Richens coached three All-MAAC players in sophomores Jordan Jowers (1st Team) and Dominic Laws (2nd Team), and freshman Jason Dubrovich (Rookie Team), making them the first Peacock trio since 2010 to earn all-league honors in the same season. Additionally, Richens had three separate players win MAAC weekly awards during the season, the team’s most weekly honors since 2013.

Over the past two seasons, Richens sports a 21-15-2 overall mark (.553) and a 14-5-1 MAAC tally (.700); the combined 14 conference wins over the last two seasons are the most through any two year period in program history. He also headed the NJCU women's soccer program for one season in 2003-04. 

In 2017 under Richens, the Peacocks earned two wins and a tie over playoff qualifying teams (Iona, Hartwick [Sun Belt Conference], and tied with Bucknell [Patriot League]) and earned a tie against Big East foe Seton Hall. The team’s 4-0 blowout win over Iona at home was the programs largest margin of victory since the 2014 season. Richens also had rookie-sensation forward Jordan Jowers earn All-MAAC Second team and All-Rookie team honors.

The team led the MAAC in saves and saves per game in 2016 and Richens led Saint Peter's to a team-best seven wins with him at the helm in 2015, while the Peacocks also advanced to the MAAC Tournament that year. Richens has coached two All-MAAC first-team selection, six All-MAAC second-team honorees and two All-Rookie team selections in his tenure at Saint Peter's.

He came to Saint Peter’s after serving as a men’s assistant coach at Rider for four seasons.

Since coming to the United States in 1999, Richens has been a Regional Manager for Noga ProExcel, a national coaching company. He also directed Champions World Camps with AC Milan and served as head coach for New Jersey City University’s women’s team during the 2003 season.

Richens owns and operates Player’s Edge Soccer, a coaching education company based in Central NJ. A noted youth coach with boy’s and girl’s teams and in the last four years his teams have won a National Championship, three State Cups and appeared in seven State Finals. Three of his teams have been national ranked top 15 teams.

Richens earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Sports Science in 1998 from Brunel University in England. He is licensed by the USSF, NSCAA and UEFA.