Chattanooga Red Wolves SC has announced a three-year partnership with East Ridge Futbol Club (ERFC). The USL League One club will aid in coaching education, player development, fundraising and more.
ERFC, whose sole focus is providing a top-notch recreational program for young players, was founded in 2011 by the city of East Ridge. The 501c3 nonprofit evolved from East Ridge Soccer Association (ERSA) and is a member of Tennessee State Soccer Association (TSSA). ERFC serves approximately 2,500 players every year, offering both outdoor and indoor recreational leagues.
“East Ridge Futbol Club has done a fantastic job of establishing a strong recreational program for players in our community,” said Chattanooga Red Wolves SC President and General Manager Sean McDaniel. “We are excited to support the association in providing vital development opportunities through coaching clinics, player interactions and more.”
As a part of the partnership, every player jersey in ERFC’s programs will feature the official Chattanooga Red Wolves SC crest. In addition, Chattanooga Red Wolves SC Head Coach and Technical Director Tim Hankinson will lead coaching clinics focusing on education and techniques for the association’s coaching staff. The Red Wolves SC roster will be of assistance, as well, making appearances at training sessions to interact with ERFC players. Both Hankinson and the players will help assess players within the program and identify those ready to make a move to academy play.
According to East Ridge Futbol Club President Jon Hooper, the partnership between the organizations is a tremendous asset to ERFC’s coaches and youth players.
“Through this partnership we are able to provide our coaches and players additional opportunities to further soccer education and development,” said Hooper. “Our mission is to develop programs that excite, challenge and educate all players to perform at their greatest potential, and we believe Chattanooga Red Wolves SC will help us continue to do just that.”
Beginning in the 2019 season, the organization will have one dedicated Chattanooga Red Wolves SC match night per season, on which all players wearing an ERFC jersey will be granted free admission. The fundraising portion of the agreement allows teams from ERFC to directly benefit from Red Wolves SC ticket sales.
ERFC is holding spring soccer sign-ups Feb. 16 and 23 at Camp Jordan Arena. The association is hosting a free coach and player camp on Monday, March 4 at 6 p.m. for ages U6-19. For more information, visit www.
The Red Wolves will make their debut in USL League One play on March 30, 2019 as the club travels to Dallas, Texas to face North Texas SC, a League One club operated by MLS side FC Dallas. The Red Wolves will face Forward Madison FC for the club’s inaugural opening night the following week on April 6. Kickoff is 7 p.m. local time.
For more information on Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, visit www.chattredwolves.com
About Chattanooga Red Wolves SC
Founded in 2018, Chattanooga Red Wolves SC is a professional soccer club in Chattanooga, Tenn. The USL League One founding member is led by business executive Robert (Bob) Martino and coached by Tim Hankinson. The club has plans to construct a new state-of-the-art 5,500-seat soccer-specific stadium in Chattanooga for the 2020 season and will play its inaugural season at David Stanton Field at Chattanooga Christian School while the stadium is being built. For more information, visit www.chattredwolves.com.
About East Ridge Futbol Club
ERFC was Founded in 2011 by the City of East Ridge but evolving from the East Ridge Soccer Association (ERSA). The ERSA program began around 1990 as an independent non-profit club that contracted with the City of East Ridge for the use of fields at Camp Jordan Park. In 2010 the City of East Ridge decided to bring the soccer program at Camp Jordan under the umbrella of the City in order to better manage soccer at the park facility. ERFC was founded as a City run program with a volunteer Board of Directors to run the day to day operation of the Club. The following year the club, still tied financially to the City became a 501c3 organization. ERFC is a member of the Tennessee State Soccer Association.
