Richmond Kickers hire two assistant technical directors for youth club
RICHMOND, VA (Via Richmond Kickers) – Former Richmond Kickers professional player Evan Lee, and current Kickers player Fred Owusu Sekyere, have been named Assistant Technical Directors with the Richmond Kickers Youth Soccer Club.
In conjunction with the full-time Technical Staff, Lee and Owusu Sekyere will work alongside current Technical Staff members across all Kickers programs including ADP, U9/10, Elite, Classic, Futsal & Summer Camp programs. They will be responsible for assisting with the club’s innovative and high-quality youth development programming and excellence in coaching, while providing the highest level of customer service and building upon the program’s unassailable reputation for success on and off the field.
“Owusu & Evan have demonstrated an extraordinary ability to inspire, motivate and educate our Kickers youth players,” commented Leigh Cowlishaw, Richmond Kickers Director of Soccer. “Their energy, enthusiasm and passion to teach the next generation of soccer players will no doubt benefit the overall quality of our programs moving forward.”
Following the club’s rich tradition of transitioning former pro players into the full-time Technical Staff, Lee joins RKYSC following a one-season stint with the Kickers First Team. Signing with the Kickers prior to the 2017 campaign, he made 20 appearances in Richmond, amassing over 750 minutes last season, while also coaching Kickers U11 and U12 Boys teams. He spent his rookie season with Eastern Conference rivals FC Cincinnati in 2016.
A native of Toledo, Ohio, Lee was named North Coast Athletic Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year at Ohio Wesleyan University in 2015 after backstopping the Battling Bishop defense that compiled nine shutouts and a 0.97 goals against average. Also contributing offensively, he tallied three goals and seven assists as a Senior, twice earning All-Region, First-Team All-Ohio and First-Team All-NCAC honors.
Entering his fourth season with the Kickers First Team, Owusu Sekyere has acted as a coach within the Richmond Kickers Youth Soccer Club since January 2015. He made 25 appearances for the Kickers in 2017, contributing two goals and three assists and has amassed over 5,000 minutes in a Kickers uniform over three seasons. A standout at Virginia Commonwealth University from 2006-2009, the Ghanaian midfielder previously made 28 appearances with the Charlotte Eagles in 2014.
Lee and Owusu Sekyere will support the club’s dedicated Technical Staff, which is led by Director of Soccer Leigh Cowlishaw, and also includes former Kickers pro player and ADP, U9/U10 Director, Ross MacKenzie, former Kickers pro player and U11-U14 Director, Michael Burke, U14-U19 Boys Director, Mark Stollsteimer, and U14-U19 Girls Director, Andy McIntosh.