With some fancy footwork, two Richmond soccer teams have joined the Women’s Premier Soccer League.
With some fancy footwork, two Richmond soccer teams have joined the Women’s Premier Soccer League.
Chesterfield United and RVA FC, have been confirmed as expansion teams for the WPSL’s 2015 season. Both teams will play in the exhibition season this summer, competing in friendly matches, before officially joining the League next year.
Chesterfield United Football Club was established in 1980, under the name Dale Youth Soccer. In 2002 the team merged with James River United, creating the Chesterfield United Soccer Club.
The Washington Spirit, a professional soccer club in Washington D.C., has also partnered with the CUFC. Pat McStay, Executive and Tournament Director of the CUFC, says that for the players, the partnership could help with the transition into the professional league down the road. To reflect the new relationship, the team has changed its name to Chesterfield United Spirit.
Dale Parker was announced as the head coach of the womens team for the upcoming season. Parker joined the CUFC as technical staff in 2011 before joining the team Parker played for Lees-McRae College Men’s soccer team.
The CUFC held tryouts earlier this year to start building a team for the 2015 season, however the official roster will not be finalized until later this year. Players will be selected from local teams, colleges and alumni of Chesterfield United.
Games for the exhibition league have also begun, McStay encourages the public to come out and see the matches this summer. “If Fans come out, they can expect to see a higher caliber match with talented players,” said McStay.
The second local team to be awarded a franchise from the WPSL is the RVA Football Club. RVA FC was founded in 2013 by former professional soccer player Grover Gibson. Gibson is the head coach of the team, and the founder of the Grover Gibson Soccer Foundation.
The Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to the development of young athletes. Through elite foundations and soccer training techniques, the foundation aims to help its players transition into college or professional soccer teams.
Both teams will join the South Atlantic Division of the WPSL for the 2015 season. With over 70 teams in the league, it is one of the largest soccer organizations in the country.
The WPSL is an affiliate of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), it was created to bring quality soccer to the community and to promote the stature of female athletes as role models for youth, according to the WPSL website.
“Expansion is a continuously-changing process, and it’s never too early to plan for the next season,” said League Commissioner Jerry Zanelli. “I’m pleased to have Chesterfield and RVA on board so far in advance, so they both have ample time to prepare for their inaugural seasons.”
