Our club will transition back to the traditional structure of a staff hired, paid and supervised directly by our board of directors. We know running our club cannot solely fall on one person’s shoulders. It will take a village. With that in mind, we have made multiple hires that will each focus on specific areas of our club to ensure positive growth and development for all our players, coaches and referees. All positions are part-time roles.
New Staffing Structure for 2023-24:
Director of Club Development: Eilidh Thomson who has been in the role of Interim Club Director since November 2022 will transition to the role of Director of Club Development. The focus of this position will be working with the board to develop long term strategic plans, community and corporate partnerships, club identity and branding initiatives etc. The goal is to create the strongest foundation for our organization to ensure the future is bright for our club.
Club Administrator: Veronica Martinez has been hired as our new Club Administrator. Veronica will be the initial point of contact for families in our organization. She is in charge of our main phone line and the [email protected] email. She will support our staff and families with administrative duties in Sports Connect, VYSA and Gotsport. Veronica is fluent in English and Spanish, and currently works at Harrisonburg high school as an administrative assistant.
Recreation Director: Ana Lopez Caracas has been re-hired (😉) as our Recreation Director. Ana, has been a longtime supporter of SVU and has excelled at running our recreation program many times. I am thrilled that she has returned to take the lead on running our most important program. Ana is also fluent in English and Spanish and works at Harrisonburg high school as an administrative assistant.
Directors of Coaching (Boys and Girls): Eric Hash (Boys) and Kyle Congleton (Girls) have been hired as Directors of Coaching who will work together to lead our Challenge and Travel programs. Their focus will be on curriculum development, coach hiring and education, seasonal and supplemental programming, scheduling (training and matches) etc.
Kyle Congleton: Kyle has extensive experience in club management and coaching in our community. The former Augusta United Executive Director and Director of Coaching has coached at all levels of the game including college, high school and club in addition to working with the State Olympic Development Program staff. His dedication to player development and his attitude towards growth and lifelong appreciate of an active lifestyle make him an excellent fit in our staff as we grow. Kyle currently serves as the Head Coach of Wilson High School Girls Varsity Program, and works as the Chief of Staff at Wilson Workforce and Rehabilitation Center in Fishersville.
Eric Hash: Eric moved to the Shenandoah Valley in January 2022 from Danville VA where he served as the Director of Coaching at Danville Soccer Club. Eric like Kyle, has worked with many players over various levels of the game. Currently coaching with Spotswood high school, Charlottesville Alliance soccer club and within the State ODP structure, Eric understands how to development players for the next level. Eric is currently the Chief Executive Officer at Harrisonburg Rockingham Association of Realtor inc.
Referee Assignor: Ben and Carrie Zimmerman have joined our organization as our joint referee assignors, starting this Spring. They have been a great addition to our program and have worked tirelessly to ensure our program matches are all covered. Their goal is to grow and develop our referee pool for the long-term benefit of our club.
The SVU Board of Directors is committed to really pushing our club to being the best community program (in all facets) in the greater Shenandoah Valley. We thank you for being a loyal part of our club and the reason why we are successful