The USL Premier Development League regular season doesn’t begin until mid-May, but the Northern Virginia Royals are still looking for a coach for 2013!
Richie Burke’s two-year stint with the Royals came to an end last fall when he accepted a coaching spot at Livingston FC in Scotland.
Prior to that, the position was held by Tom Torres, who is currently DC United Academy Director.
The Royals website said that applications for the position would be taken through March 19, which allows two months to make a hire before the season opener on May 18 against the Carolina Dynamo at Fairfax High School stadium.
The club, which also includes the W-League Majestics, was formed in 1997. Initially, it began as a professional club in what was then called the USL Pro Division.
In 2005, the Royals moved to the PDL, which is the USL’s largest classification and is essentially an Under-23 amateur league.
A number of players and coaches have moved through the northern Virginia Royals to Major League Soccer., including a strong connection with nearby D.C. United.
On the list of D.C. United players who have played for the Royals are Bryan Namoff, Troy Perkins, Curt Onalfo, Tom Prestus, Santino Quaranta and Mark Simpson.
John Pascarella, an assistant coach for Kansas City, also coached the Royals for two seasons. Onalfo is a former D.C. United head coach, as well as Kansas City Wizards (now Sporting Kansas City) head coach.
The Royals will play in the South Atlantic Division of the PDL this season, along with the Dynamo, SC United Bantams (Columbia, SC), Southern West Virginia King’s Warriors, and the West Virginia Chaos.
Schweitzer Honored
Marie Schweitzer, coach of the W-League Majestics, recently won Positive Coaching Alliance’s Double-Goal Coach Award for her positive impact on youth athletes.
Schweitzer, who also administers the youth academy for the National Women’s Soccer League’s Washington Spirit, teaches life lessons about the value of hard work.
“I always tell the kids in training session to work hard and have fun,” said Schweitzer. “If you have fun it doesn’t even feel like you’re working hard, because you love what you’re doing.
“Then, I relate that emphasis on effort to their school work or to their future jobs.”