Chattanooga Football Club has announced the on-field leadership for its first fully professional season. Long-time Chattanooga FC head coach Bill Elliott will move into a Technical Director role with the club, and Peter Fuller, last season’s Associate Head Coach, will be taking the reins as Head Coach for 2020.
“We are blessed to have such strong continuity from a coaching perspective. It’s something you don’t normally see at this level” said Jeremy Alumbaugh, Managing Director, Chattanooga FC. “I’ve watched Bill from afar for years, and the way that he consistently produces high quality soccer is really special. Bringing in Peter as Associate Head Coach last year was a seamless transition, and he has certainly earned the opportunity to be the head coach next season. I couldn’t be happier that these two are returning for 2020.”
As Technical Director, Elliott will be responsible for the overall soccer direction for the entire club, including oversight of player recruitment, scouting and season planning. Fuller will be responsible for the day to day coaching, match preparation and player development. With an eye to further strengthen our on-field product, longtime goalkeeper coach Jordan Matheiss has been promoted to full time Director of Soccer Operations, under Elliott and Fuller.
Elliott, who is also the men’s head soccer coach at the University of West Florida, joined Chattanooga FC in 2012. He has led the team to seven NPSL Southeast Conference Championships, three NPSL South Region Championships and three NPSL National Title bids. In 2015 Bill helped guide CFC to win the US Amateur National Championship, the Hank Steinbrecher Cup. Bill has been named NPSL Coach of the Year twice (2014, 2015, 2016).
In his collegiate coaching career at West Florida, Elliott is a seven-time GSC Coach of the Year and a three-time South Region Coach of the Year. In the summer of 2010, he was also named to the GSC Men’s Soccer All-Time Team. In 2016, the University of West Florida Mens’s team reached the NCAA Final Four under his leadership. Over the past 13 seasons, the UWF Men’s team has reached 10 conference finals in total.
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“I’m thrilled to continue to work with this team and our community in Chattanooga” said Elliott. “I’ve been involved with Chattanooga FC since 2012, and looking back at what we’ve built is humbling. We’ve truly lived by our mission to bring communities together through the beautiful game, and I’m honored to continue the work with the board, Jeremy, our team, and the city.”
“It’s been apparent to me that Chattanooga FC is a unique club for a long time, and I was blown away by my experience here in 2019” said Peter Fuller. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been a part of such an incredible union between team and community. As we move into the professional ranks, I look forward to being able to impart that spirit into the new players, and continue to produce quality results on the field. We have some steep competition ahead of us, but we are ready for the challenge.”
Fuller is one of the winningest coaches of all time in NAIA soccer history with a record of 311-115-21. He won two NAIA national championships as a head coach and has also spent time as an assistant with the New England Revolution and the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer.
The coaches’ new roles will take effect immediately, and both Fuller and Elliott have begun work on the upcoming season with the National Independent Soccer Association.