Greenville Triumph seeks coach for new women’s team

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The Greenville Triumph SC has launched its search for a coach to lead a newly formed women’s soccer team and to develop opportunities to get women and young girls more deeply involved the sport.  

The head coach/technical director of the as-yet unnamed women’s team will lead the day-to-day operations of the team and take a lead role in the club’s youth programming, fan development and community relations initiatives. The full-time coach position will report to club President Chris Lewis, according to a news release.  

The women’s team will begin play in May 2022 as part of the USL’s W League. Announced in June, USL launched the W League “as a force for societal good by creating a national platform to increase opportunity, gender equity and career development,” the news release said. More than half of the 30 teams expected to play in the first season have been announced.  

Greenville Triumph Chairman Joe Erwin said his organization got behind the push for a women’s league early and was rewarded by receiving one of the first teams.

“There’s a huge opportunity out there with women’s soccer and not enough opportunity for them to extend their careers,” he said. “This is a way to do that, and not just as players but as coaches and front office people and even doctors. We believe this is a way to increase opportunities for women and the league listened.”

The women’s league will have a summer season with seven home games and seven on the road. Its pro-professional players will come largely from college and elite prep school programs, Erwin said.

“Women’s soccer has a rich history and a deep base of talent in Upstate South Carolina and the broader region,” Doug Erwin, vice chairman and chief brand officer for the Triumph, said in the release. “We’ve long recognized that, but it’s been underscored by the incredible candidates we’ve been in contact with during this coach search.” 

Erwin said the team plans to hire a coach by the start of the year if not before and recruit a roster of players in early spring. The team name and branding will be announced later this year, the release said. 

“We see this position being the first in a number of opportunities for women and girls in the Upstate to get more deeply involved with the game and our Club,” Lewis said in the release. “We envision the women’s team serving as a platform for women and girls to get practical experience in sports while serving as a platform to launch careers as both athletes and front office executives.” 

The USL W League is designed to provide an elite pre-professional pathway for women looking to build their careers both on and off the pitch, according to the release. 

The Greenville team will begin play at Legacy Early College, the home pitch of the Greenville Triumph men’s team. Once plans are finalized for a permanent stadium, both men’s and women’s teams will play there with equal facilities, space and resources, the release said.