Chesterfield United joins Richmond Strikers
Midlothian, Virginia (Via Chesterfield United / Richmond Strikers) – Starting in the 2016-2017 season, Chesterfield United will join the Richmond Strikers to create a new alliance in the Richmond Metro Region’s youth soccer landscape.
Combining administrative resources, soccer expertise, and an integration of club missions on both sides is going to result in a better player development environment and more opportunities for both clubs’ recreational, developmental, and elite players. Chesterfield United players and families will have better access to a larger group of professional coaches, be able to compete in higher level tournaments and showcase events, and have greater exposure to college coaches, all while maintaining their footprint in Chesterfield County.
Pat McStay, Chesterfield United Executive Director, said of the partnership, “Joining forces with the Richmond Strikers seems natural. The Strikers have always shared the same values as Chesterfield United, both on and off the field. Both coaching staffs share a similar developmental philosophy, and we are really excited for the future. We are preserving what has made Chesterfield United successful in the past, keeping intact the majority of what we are doing well, and improving the rest of our programs and staff. Our players now truly have the same opportunities as every other player in Richmond to reach the highest levels within US Soccer on both the boys and girls side.”
With an elite, developmental, and recreational base of 5,500 players under the Richmond Strikers banner, this new partnership creates one of the largest youth clubs in the state of Virginia.
Joe Farrell, Chesterfield United Boys Technical Director, said, “I have been with this club for the past 15 years, before it was even called Chesterfield United. We have always focused on the best interests of the players and providing the best environment for player development. This partnership provides these players with more opportunities for success, and at the end of the day, that’s what matters the most.”
Richmond Strikers Executive Director Jay Howell added, “The Richmond Strikers and Chesterfield United have long shared both a common philosophy on player development and an intense desire to grow the game. I am confident the soccer programming on both sides of the James will be enhanced by the combining of two great soccer staffs. As a result, players will benefit from even more robust training environments at all levels and stages of development…and ultimately enjoy opportunities to compete at national, regional, and state levels.”
Due to mandates from US Soccer, the youth soccer landscape will change for all travel teams and youth soccer organizations across the United States. Beginning with travel team tryouts later this spring, teams will now be formed by birth-year. The plan for Chesterfield United and the Richmond Strikers is to combine the very best players from the Southside, Midlothian and the West End to create competitive teams at the U11-U18 age groups to compete in the Virginia NPL as Richmond Strikers Elite. These elite teams will have the opportunity to train at some of the best facilities in Richmond: River City SportsPlex, West Creek, and Striker Park. Additional U10-U12 Elite teams and U13-U18 Premier travel teams will be geographically based (i.e., Richmond Strikers and Richmond Strikers Chesterfield). Recreation soccer programming for both the Strikers and Chesterfield will not change.
