Building a Successful Youth Club: Club Structure, Relationships with Professional Organizations, Distinct Player Pathway and More | Ep. 111

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The Breaking the Line crew is back with their newest episode, this time with a topic that came straight from a listener question. 

A parent from Richmond, Va., asked Breaking the Line: "Is there an ideal blueprint for an ECNL club?" The question specifically cited the success of local club Richmond United, and to tackle this discussion, we went straight to the source. 

In Episode 111, Jay Howell, Executive Director of Richmond United, joined Breaking the Line to discuss his origins in the youth soccer space and spearheading Richmond United since 2014 and how throughout the years, Richmond United has become a leader within the youth soccer space, culminating with a complete club rebrand launching at this podcast's release. 

Howell and Breaking the Line discuss how clubs can build a structure that puts the players first, and how navigating a club structure can be difficult with multiple coaching philosophies and personalities, especially with multiple youth clubs joining forces. 

They also discuss how to build and maintain relationships with professional organizations, and how youth clubs and pro clubs can work together to ensure all parties can see success on and off the field. 

Finally, the crew works through what is a player pathway, how respective age groups and leagues fit into that pathway, and how putting the players first can lead to great moments across the club. 

While there is no one right way to build a successful youth club, there are many factors that clubs can emulate and glean from this incredibly insightful discussion with one of the ECNL's top clubs. 

Thank you to our fan who submitted Episode 111's topic, and as always, please submit questions to Breaking the Line here: https://ecnl.info/BTL-Questions.