Features

RICHMOND, VA – (Friday, June 6, 2014) – The Richmond Kickers are pleased to announce that the fourth annual Avery Spence Youth Community Service Award will be presented to a youth soccer player during the Kickers pro game versus the Wilmington Hammerheads on Saturday, June 14.  The Avery Spence Youth Community Service Award was established to honor Kickers youth player, Avery Spence, who was tragically killed in an automobile accident on May 1, 2011.  In honor of Avery’s #7 jersey, admission to the Kickers pro game will be $7.00 per person, in advance at www.richmondkickers.com.

“Avery was one of my favorite players,” commented Rob Ukrop, Richmond Kickers President, Board of Directors.  “She was the consummate team player, always early to team functions, always had a smile on her face, and always loved to compete on and off the field.”

“She also had a great gift for teaching the beautiful game to other young players throughout our community,” added Ukrop.  “Avery is missed by many but we are excited to keep her memory alive through this youth community service award, inspiring other young players in our club to make a difference in the lives of others just like Avery did.”

Ukrop presented the inaugural award to the Spence family on July 8, 2011, to honor Avery’s commitment to the Richmond community.  A longstanding member of the Richmond Kickers youth club, she started with the Kickers rec program when she was nine years old, progressing with arguably the best girls team in the Kickers Girls Elite program over seven seasons.  A committed volunteer, Avery donated countless hours throughout the Richmond community, participating in over 50 youth soccer clinics, Meals on Wheels, caroling to senior citizens, as well as working with the Kickers ADP program for six and seven year olds.  She was in the academic top ten in her class at Manchester High School and was heading to Virginia Tech in the fall to pursue a career in dentistry.  Avery had a love for life, sharing her time and talent with kids of all ages.

Past award recipients include former Kickers players Ashley Riefner (University of Richmond) and Blayne Fink (Virginia Tech).

Each year, the Richmond Kickers will present the Avery Spence Youth Community Service Award to the Kickers youth player that has demonstrated outstanding commitment to the youth community in Richmond.  Criteria are based on exemplary volunteer involvement, commitment, leadership and athletic and academic achievements.

RICHMOND, VA – (Thursday, May 29, 2014) – The Richmond Kickers are pleased to announce that Katie Cousins has been named the 2013-14 Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year.  Recognized for her athletic excellence, as well as academic achievement and exemplary character on and off the field as a junior at Jefferson Forest High School, Cousins led the Cavaliers to a 13-1 regular season record, scoring eight goals and five assists during the 2013-14 campaign.  Elected from the pool of National Player of the Year honorees, Cousins is also a Finalist for the Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year award.

“This is a tremendous honor for a young player who has worked hard over the last several years to develop her game,” commented Rob Ukrop, Richmond Kickers U18 Girls Elite Head Coach.  “Katie has a unique skill set that allows her to blend in with her teammates to inspire her team to be better in training and in games.  She thinks like a professional player in terms of her controlled tempo and decision-making and I truly believe has the potential to be a future game-changer with the U.S. Women’s National Team.”

A member of the U.S. U18 Women’s National Team, Cousins is a true U17 player who currently plays an age group up with the Richmond Kickers U18 Elite and will compete on the newly formed U18 Richmond United ECNL team next season.  Cousins was recently named to the NSCAA 2013 Youth Girls All-American team and is ranked first in the nation by Topdrawersoccer.com.  The Lynchburg, Virginia native volunteers on behalf of Relay for Life, Autism Awareness and local youth soccer camps and has verbally committed to play soccer on an athletic scholarship at the University of Tennessee upon graduation.

The Gatorade Player of the Year award was established in 1985 to recognize and celebrate the nation’s most outstanding high school talents for their athletic achievement, academic excellence and exemplary character. Now in its third decade, the Gatorade Player of the Year award has become one of the most prestigious accolades in high school sports.

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport.  This year celebrates the program’s 29th anniversary. In that time, Gatorade has honored nearly 13,000 State Players of the Year and 260 National Players of the Year, including many of today’s top professional athletes, such as Peyton Manning, Lisa Leslie, Candace Parker, Kerri Walsh, Derek Jeter, and Emmitt Smith. For more information, visit www.gatorade.com/poy.

RICHMOND, VA – (Tuesday, April 22, 2014) – The Richmond Kickers have teamed up with world renowned soccer club AFC Ajax to host an Ajax Academy summer camp June 28-July 1 at the state-of-the-art soccer complex, Ukrop Park in Richmond, VA. This unique, invitation-only summer camp experience will help further the development of accomplished youth players from around the region.

“We are delighted to host the AFC Ajax Academy this summer at Ukrop Park,” commented Leigh Cowlishaw, Richmond Kickers Director of Soccer. “The camp will provide a unique opportunity for Richmond’s best soccer talent to be coached the Ajax way by several of Holland’s finest youth coaches.”

The non-residential summer camp will be staffed by current coaches from the Ajax Academy at De Toekomst in Amsterdam, Holland, including Jan de Koning (former AFC Ajax player and Assistant Technical Director at Liverpool FC), Maarten Stekelenburg (former Ajax Capetown Head of Youth Development and head coach of Ajax Capetown Pro team), Eddie Van Schaick (current AFC Ajax Youth Consultant and former Richmond Kickers Technical Director) and Mark van Lith (AFC Ajax youth coach and coordinator for the younger age groups at Almere City, an affiliate club of AFC Ajax). Richmond Kickers full time technical staff members will serve as assistant coaches for this exclusive event.

The camp is designed for accomplished male youth soccer players ages U10 to U14. Space is limited to 18 field players and two goalkeepers per age division, to ensure appropriate coach to player ratios.  The registration fee of $445 will include two training sessions per day from 9:00am – 11:00am and 5:30pm – 7:30pm as well as official Ajax training attire.

“The Ajax youth development system is recognized as one of the best in the world and we are fortunate Ajax has agreed to visit Richmond so local players can take advantage of this once in a life time learning experience,” added Cowlishaw.

The goal of the world famous Ajax youth academy, named De Toekomst, which literally translates as The Future, is to transform talented young players into top professional soccer players. Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten, Frank Rijkaard, Wim Kieft, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Kluivert are but a few of the international stars that have successfully completed the training at the youth academy.

Central within the club is the style of play (4-3-3), training, behavior, and house rules. Ajax strives to keep the way of playing soccer recognizable, attractive, offensive-minded, creative, fast and fair through the development of the 40-criteria TIPS model, which stands for Technique, Insight, Personality and Speed.

The Richmond Kickers were proud to crown 13 Champions and 10 Finalists at the 2014 Ultimate Cup Tournament!

• Click HERE for the Photo Gallery

Girls Weekend
U10 Girls Elite Red Starts (Finalist)
U10 Girls Collegiate (Finalist)
U12 Girls Elite (Finalist)
U12 Girls Collegiate (Finalist)
U14 Girls Elite (Champions)
U14 Girls Central (Champions)
U15 Girls Central (Champions)
U15 Girls Elite (Champions)
U16 Girls Elite (Champions)
U17 Girls Elite (Champions)
U18 Girls Elite (Finalist)
U18 Girls Mechanicsville (Champions)

Boys Weekend
U10 Boys Elite Red (Champions)
U10 Boys Elite White (Finalist)
U11 Boys Elite Red (Champions)
U11 Boys Elite White (Champions)
U12 Boys Elite (Finalist)
U12 Boys Valencia (Finalist)
U12 Boys Athletico (Champions)
U13 Boys Elite (Champions)
U14 Boys Elite (Champions)
U16 Boys North (Finalist)
U18 Boys Central (Finalist)

RICHMOND, VA – (Saturday, February 22, 2014) – The Richmond Kickers were deeply saddened by the death of the club’s former President Tom Depcrynski, who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 67. A key figure in the growth and success of the Kickers’ organization, Depcrynski was a major figure in USL history, and we send our condolences to his family and friends at this time.

“Tom Depcrynski was not only a massive influence on the Kickers organization, but he was also a tremendous person to work alongside,” USL President Tim Holt said. “During his time with the Kickers, he transformed the club from its position as a lone professional team into one of the great examples in U.S. Soccer of a progressive and integrated soccer club that served both genders. His passion for the game of soccer can still be seen in the Kickers’ organization, from its USL PRO side to the club’s outstanding academy program, and he was a key figure in league administration throughout his tenure at the club. He will be greatly missed.”

Depcrynski joined the Kickers in 1997 as the club’s Vice President and General Manager, and the following year was promoted to club President. He oversaw an outstanding period of growth for the club during which time the Kickers’ senior side claimed a pair of USL Second Division titles in 2006 and 2009. Under his leadership, the Kickers won three Organization of the Year awards, in 2000, 2006 and 2007, while Depcrynski also served on the Executive Committees of both the USL First and Second Divisions.

“[Tom] loved the Kickers and was passionate about seeing both the pro and the youth teams grow,” Kickers Director of Soccer Leigh Cowlishaw said to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “He wanted the Kickers to become an integral part of life in Richmond.”

Following the club’s championship in 2009 Depcrynski chose to step away from the club’s day-to-day operation. Since then, the club has continued to go from strength to strength, making a run to the semifinals of the 2011 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, winning the 2013 USL PRO Regular Season Championship, and securing a partnership with Major League Soccer’s D.C. United.

“I think there comes a time in everyone’s life when you’re ready to move on to something new and different,” Depcrynski told the Times-Dispatch upon his retirement. “I’ve spent a lot of time and effort building the [Kickers] organization and when I look at it now, my feeling is, ‘Mission accomplished.’ ”

A native of Uniontown, Pa., Depcrynski served in the U.S. Army Reserve. The family suggests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the USO (www.uso.org/donate).

RICHMOND, VA – (Thursday, February 6, 2014) – The Richmond Kickers are pleased to announce that 16 players from the U16, U17 and U18 Girls Elite teams have committed to play soccer at 11 different universities.

Kickers U18 Girls Elite players Payton Cook will attend University of South Florida while Alani Johnson and Madison Conyers have committed to Virginia Tech. Emily Drummond, Hannah Cornman and Lindsey Williams will represent the Kickers at the University of Richmond while Caroline Crowder and Kelly Nelson will attend Longwood University and Bridgewater College, respectively.

Patricia Garrett has committed to Lynchburg College, Allye Reynolds will attend University of North Carolina-Charlotte and Toryn Broadwater is slated to attend West Virginia University. Katie Cousins and Haley Kent have committed to University of Tennessee and the College of William & Mary, respectively, and Carly Maglio will join U17 Girls Elite player Alex Miller at Christopher Newport University.  Additionally, U16 Girls Elite player Brittany Beckwith verbally committed to Virginia Commonwealth University.

“We are thrilled with the success these young women have had on their Richmond Kickers journey,” commented Rob Ukrop, Richmond Kickers U18 Girls Elite Head Coach.  “Not only have they been great competitors on the field, but they have been terrific ambassadors for our community. We wish them well as they make the step to the collegiate ranks.”

Stay tuned to www.richmondkickers.com as more Kickers players commit to college.

USL PRO Feature
Thursday, February 6, 2014

BRADENTON, Fla. – It’s been a little more than a year since Michael Season became the fifth, and youngest, Homegrown Player in D.C. United’s history. Since then, he’s scored on his professional debut, made his debut in Major League Soccer, trained with Inter Milan and made his debut for the Jamaican national team.

Now in his second professional training camp, Seaton has added size and continues to grow as he works toward earning regular minutes for United in MLS. As he looked back on his first professional season, though, the time spent with the Kickers was a good, and valuable, experience.

“With me being young, I was 16, and scored my first professional goal at Richmond in my first game,” Seaton said this week at IMG Academy. “Hearing I was going to Richmond, it wasn’t like I was upset, I just know I have to work on getting to this level, to the MLS level, and Richmond helped tremendously. If I go again, I wouldn’t feel bad about that because I need to develop.”

Seaton’s debut came on the road against the Wilmington Hammerheads last April. After Luke Vercollone had given Richmond the lead in the second half, Seaton put the game away late as his speed took him away from the Hammerheads’ defense on a breakaway and he coolly slotted home his finish a little under a month before his 17th birthday.

“It was awesome,” Seaton said. “It was in the last minute and it basically secured the entire game, that we were going to win it. It was awesome and I wanted to score before I turned 17, so that was just a plus.”

Seaton finished with five goals in 17 league appearances for the Kickers last summer as his time was split between D.C. and Richmond. As the youngest player in the squad he appreciated the chance not only to play, but to learn from the experienced professionals at the club, such as Vercollone, Henry Kalungi and Matt Delicâte.

“They were great role models,” Seaton said. “Delicâte, playing my position, he’s a goal-scorer and that’s what I’m trying to create, that’s what I’m trying to start doing, go score a lot of goals as a forward. Deli is a person I learned from, and all the veterans on the team, even if they played defense for all I care, they told me what not to do, what to do, and they made me a better person and a better player.”

Seaton also drew parallels between his respective coaches at D.C. and Richmond, a sign of the shared visions and methodology shared between the two clubs.

“Leigh is very energetic and I get the same feeling from Benny anyway, so it was like similar people in different bodies,” he said. “Leigh shouts. Leigh is energetic, Benny is energetic, so it was like when I hear Leigh I think of Ben and when I hear Ben I think of Leigh, back-and-forth.”

Seaton went on to make his first start for United late in September, having made his debut as a substitute in August. The native of Spanish Town then received a call-up to the Jamaican National Team in October, making his international debut against Trinidad & Tobago.

After a brief offseason, the youngster then headed to Italy to train with Inter. Again the youngest in the group as he trained with the Italian giant’s Primavera (Under-20) squad, Seaton continued to grow as a player while absorbing as much of the country’s culture as he could.

“It was good,” Seaton said. “I brought my camera, I was taking a lot of pictures there. It wasn’t a vacation, everywhere I go is straight-up business, but it was awesome being in Italy. The language is very hard but I learned enough just to get around – hi, bye, good morning – little things like that to get me through the game.

“Playing with [Inter’s Primavera] is like playing with [United’s] first team. They’re very technical, strong, so going in there I learned a lot, especially from guys that were 18 years old, 19 years old. … Learning from them, learning from the coach, the way they play, I want to bring that back to the U.S.”

Seaton certainly appears to have a maturity beyond his years, but a youthful exuberance is also on display on and off the field. As one of the first Homegrown Players to be loaned to a USL PRO affiliate under the partnership between the two leagues, alongside Sporting Kansas City’s Jon Kempin and the Philadelphia Union’s Cristhian Hernandez and Jimmy McLaughlin, Seaton could soon be an example of a player whose growth was accelerated by the experience gained in USL PRO.

While older players such as Dom Dwyer and Brian Ownby shone in the first season of the partnership between the leagues, further down the road it may be players like Seaton who are the biggest beneficiaries. So, would Seaton like to emulate Dwyer, who through his role in championship seasons for both Orlando City and Sporting Kansas City became the poster-boy for the MLS-USL PRO partnership?

“No, I want to be myself and play to my potential, and everyone else should be striving for the same thing,” Seaton said. “Dom Dwyer, I learned from him too, I watched him play, a tremendous player, but I’m not going to go and say I want to be like Dom Dwyer, I’ll go ahead and say I want to be like Michael Seaton and be the best I can be.”

As far as Seaton has come in the past 12 months, his career certainly appears to be one that has many chapters lying ahead.

The Richmond Kickers U18 Girls Elite returned from a New Year’s Trip to Disney with their third consecutive Disney Showcase Championship.  The girls claimed another piece of Disney hardware after defeating in-state rivals, Braddock Road Elite, 1-0 in a rematch of the 2013 Virginia State Cup Championship.

The Kickers advanced out of pool play with solid victories over the Florida Kraze and FC Dallas squads, and a draw against the North Carolina State Champion Jacksonville Coastal Surge.

In the finals, the Kickers weathered a very offensive minded display by Braddock Road in the first half, before scoring the game winner early in the second half, and gaining control of the match, live on ESPN 3.

After the girls lost the 2010 finals in their first Disney appearance, they went on a remarkable run winning titles in 2012, 2013, and 2014.  The U18 Girls concluded their Disney Showcase appearances with 48 goals scored, 12 goals allowed, and an impressive record of 14 wins, 1 loss, and 2 draws.

While attending ODP Region I Winter Training in Buffalo NY, Richmond Kickers U13 Girls Elite player, Paige Franks, was selected to participate in the US Youth Soccer ODP Girls National Training Camp that will be held in Pheonix, Arizona January 29 to February 3, 2013.  

During this event, the top regional players from all four regions in the country will be mixed together for scrimmages and training with national coaches. 

Congratulations, Paige!

RICHMOND, VA – (Monday, December 16, 2013) – The Richmond Kickers collected three awards at the 2013 USL Annual General Meeting in Clearwater, Florida including the USL PRO Fair Play Award, Communications Award and Key Grip Award.  The awards were presented Friday night at the USL Hall of Fame and Awards dinner as USL recognized outstanding performances by its member teams and executives.

Awarded to the team with the least number of disciplinary points at the end of the season, this year marks the third season that the Kickers have received the Fair Play Award.  The Kickers first took the honor in 2004 as a member of the USL First Division and again in 2008.  The Communications Award recognizes the USL PRO team who most effectively communicates with both local and national media and its fans and is a second time honor for the Kickers pro team, who also collected the award in 2008.

Additionally, Richmond Kickers Director of Sales, Hunter Leemon, claimed this year’s USL PRO Key Grip Award, bestowed upon one team executive from the league who excels at his or her duties behind the scenes to make the organization operate at its highest potential.  Leemon joined the Kickers front office staff in November 2009 and is responsible for cultivating relationships with sponsors and sponsorship implementation.    

Don’t miss a minute of Kickers Pro action as they kick off their 22nd season in 2014.  Richmond Kickers season passes offer unbeatable value, VIP benefits and incredibly low prices to all regular season home games. Guaranteed to see all regular season home games for the best possible pricing, Kickers games are a fantastic way to get together with friends, family and colleagues for an unforgettable entertainment experience – order now!