Richmond Ivy SC, the new pre-professional women’s soccer team playing in the USL W League, kicked off on May 11 this year and showcases some of the best college and high school players from the Richmond region. The core of the team is built on former Richmond Kickers Youth, Richmond Strikers, FC Richmond and Richmond United youth players, plus some of their current college teammates.
“The Ivy want the best players training with each other,” said Rob Ukrop, chairman of 22 Holdings, LLC, the group that owns the Richmond Kickers Pro and Richmond Ivy soccer clubs. “We want to make sure there’s a pathway for these girls to develop.”
Richmond has a long history of talented young women participating in the W League. The first version years ago included USWNT member and two-time world champion Becky Sauerbrunn. Those early teams also included current Richmond Ivy head coach Kimmy Cummings and her assistant coach, Carter Yeisley.
“When you have several local clubs with talented athletes, sometimes those athletes are not able to train with each other when they play for competing clubs,” said Ukrop. “Richmond United helped us improve that environment years ago, as many of the top players moved to that program. So now with the Ivy, you get the best players back home for the summer training together, inspiring the next wave while wearing the Ivy badge in front of amazing crowds at City Stadium.”
The Richmond Ivy team is built on college players who are in town or are coming into town for training to be a part of a team in the summer. “This is how a lot of W League teams are set up,” said Ukrop.“What we wanted to do is make sure that the younger players who are finishing their high school season now or are finishing their Super Cup with the Richmond United team are potentially able to access an environment where they get to play with the Ivy players.”
When the Richmond Ivy college-level players return to university, it’s these exceptional youth players who remain to carry the squad through the end of the season — a roster created through intense scouting by sporting director Madeline McCracken; tryout assessments led by both McCracken and Cummings; and with the technical guidance of Mika Elovaara, the director of methodology for Richmond United and a seasoned coach with a dedicated history, including serving as head assistant coach of the Richmond Kickers.
“We’re really intentional about working with Elovaara,” said Ukrop. “We’re trying to identify the right young talent, so they can grow at the right time and contribute.”
Ukrop stresses the importance of a player’s growth not only for herself, but for the improvement of the team — a top priority for the newly formed Richmond Ivy, whose name has already started to achieve recognition throughout the community.
“What we didn’t want to do was introduce the new women’s team if we couldn’t do it right,” said Ukrop. “The best part of every home game is watching our Ivy players go to the wall to sign autographs for the next generation of youth soccer players. They patiently sign every T-shirt, ball, jersey or arm while parents patiently wait for their child to run back up the steps and show they got an autograph from their new favorite soccer players.”
The Ivy have three more home games at City Stadium this season on June 13, June 21 and June 28. Gates open at 6 p.m. and kickoff takes place at 7 p.m. for each match. Get your tickets today at seatgeek.com/richmond-ivy-tickets.
For news about the team and its players, please visit richmondivy.com and on socials @richmondivysc.
