RICHMOND, VA – (Tuesday, June 7, 2011) – The Richmond Kickers U-11 through U-14 Elite Teams were awarded their eighth Virginia Club Champions League (VCCL) Club Champions title for the spring 2011 season. The Club topped the standings with 103 points to win their fourth VCCL championship in the past five seasons. Additionally, the Kickers swept the Boys and Girls titles with the U11 Girls, U12 Girls, U13 Girls and U11 Boys claiming their respective division championships and the U13 Boys, U14 Boys and U14 Girls placing second.
“We are proud of how well our Kickers teams performed this season, especially since winning games is never the primary objective,” commented Leigh Cowlishaw, Richmond Kickers Director of Soccer. “It is, however, a remarkable achievement and one that demonstrates the overall strength of our program. We currently have more players playing up in older age groups than we have had in our entire history. We demand that our players adhere to an attacking, possession focused style of soccer that starts with the goalkeeper’s distribution out of the back and involves all players on the team.”
“Our coaching staff always encourages a winning mentality coupled with a burning desire to be the best you can be,” added Cowlishaw. “We strongly believe that those personal characteristics will be valuable assets in whichever profession our players ultimately partake.”
Over the last four years, the Richmond Kickers Girls teams have won the VCCL Girls Championship every season (Spring 2008, Fall 2008, Spring 2009, Fall 2009 and Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Spring 2011). Leading the league for an unprecedented eight seasons, the Kickers girls teams clearly demonstrate the club’s status as the best girls program in Central, South, Western and Eastern Virginia.
Since joining the VCCL in 2004, the Kickers have collected eight overall VCCL Club Championships in 15 seasons and reclaim the title after taking the honors for three consecutive seasons (Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Spring 2010).
The Virginia Club Champions League (VCCL), a member of the Virginia Youth Soccer Association (VYSA), was founded in 1997 as one of a small number of soccer leagues in the country based on the philosophy that the player is a member of the club as well as a member of the team and that successful clubs develop players and teams from within rather than through recruitment. VCCL is arguably the only league in the country with club-to-club scheduling where all teams from the same club play on the same day at the same location against another member club.
Current VCCL club members, Beach FC, FC Richmond, Richmond Strikers, Richmond Kickers, Roanoke Star, SOCA (Charlottesville), Virginia Legacy (Williamsburg), and Virginia Rush (Virginia Beach) serve players from central and southeastern Virginia, with eight VCCL North clubs from Northern Virginia set to join the league in the fall 2011.
About the Richmond Kickers
Today over 8,000 soccer players participate in programs sponsored by the Richmond Kickers and partner clubs, including Ashland Youth Soccer League, City of Richmond Parks and Rec., Goochland United Soccer Association, TOPSoccer, Elementary Soccer and Little KICKS. The Richmond Kickers Soccer Club provides opportunities for all players of all abilities and unites soccer in the Central Virginia community. Benefits include economy of scale, consistency of coaching philosophy, professional administrative and coaching staff expertise, positive role models for youth players and a clear pathway from youth to pro for aspiring young players.
