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Post by atlantasoccerdad2020 on Feb 23, 2023 18:22:41 GMT -5
Huge soccer news coming out of the City of Conyers in Rockdale County involving RYSA Revolution - East Atlanta's Premier Soccer Club and the Dutch Lions!
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Post by rifle on Feb 23, 2023 18:45:55 GMT -5
So what is the news?
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Post by atlantasoccerdad2020 on Feb 23, 2023 18:56:31 GMT -5
RYSA Board Announces Investment of $5 million from New Ownership East Atlanta Dutch Lions Involvement to Assure RYSA's Future Acquisition Approved and Finalized February 18. 2023 Conyers, GA: Founded in 1972, RYSA (Rockdale Youth Soccer Association) has had a long and storied history of bringing soccer to children and adults alike in Rockdale County. Although an important part of the fabric of the entire community, in recent years RYSA's membership dwindled considerably. Enter Patrick Vierhout, devoted lifelong soccer fan and owner of the East Atlanta Dutch Lions. (The RYSA Dutch Lions will be the rec team.) Through his relationship with RYSA providing the players' with affordable uniforms from his company Sportiff USA, LLC, Vierhout witnessed firsthand the many needs the association had including increasing the membership numbers, improving the fields and buildings, providing new equipment and offering professional level training, all to benefit the youth athletes. "We are committed to providing the children of Conyers with the best soccer experience possible. This $5 million investment puts RYSA on a stronger path and we are very excited to see the overall impact it will have on our community," said new CEO Vierhout. The agreement for the acquisition was supported by the RYSA Board who will have its existing debt retired giving the balance sheet a brand-new start. Additionally, RYSA will become part of the Dutch Lions and their globally recognized standard of play, offering players with the talent, ambition, and desire a pathway to professional soccer. "50 years ago, the Gross Brothers deeded the land for the children and families of Conyers and Rockdale County to use for soccer," said RYSA board member Richard Saturday. "Working with the Dutch Lions gives us the opportunity to honor that legacy while building for future generations." In addition to the investment in the overall infrastructure, coaches and trainers with international professional soccer experience will be hired to run clinics for players of all skill levels. These professionals present opportunities for both the players and existing RYSA coaches to grow their skills for future consideration. Construction on the fields and buildings will commence as soon as practical following the current season. "I've been playing on RYSA fields since I was 5 and working here since I was 15", said Kelly Shirah, Facility Director for RYSA. "Honestly, we've been struggling to make the investments needed. With this agreement, the facility will be second to none in the region." About RYSA RYSA is a non-profit soccer organization dedicated to providing children in the Conyers community with the opportunity to play soccer in a safe and enjoyable environment. We strive to provide the best soccer experience possible and are committed to improving the lives of our players through the sport of soccer. About the Dutch Lions The Dutch Lions FC programs strive to enhance the growth of young men and women both on and off the pitch. On the pitch through their tactical, technical and physical development using mostly Dutch UEFA licensed coaches and training methods, the use of video analysis and top facilities. Off the pitch through being in a professional environment, from the season program to nutrition, work ethic and contributing to a team performance. |
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Post by rifle on Feb 23, 2023 19:22:27 GMT -5
That’s an impressive investment! Who is this guy Patrick Vierhout? Has he been connected with RYSA for long?
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Post by goaliemom11 on May 25, 2023 10:56:03 GMT -5
That’s an impressive investment! Who is this guy Patrick Vierhout? Has he been connected with RYSA for long? I don't think he's been around RYSA for super long, but the changes they've been making are definitely looking good! We've played for RYSA for a while and it's been a great year of improvements for sure! New facilities coming soon, advanced coaching and expanding all the way to USL2 Mens and USL Academy Girls team that will have their inaugural season this year! |
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Post by newposter on Jun 20, 2023 14:24:04 GMT -5
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Post by rifle on Jun 20, 2023 19:50:55 GMT -5
This is amazing for RYSA and metro Atlanta soccer. My only “head scratcher” is this quote:
with a tight 24-month construction timeline in order to be ready to potentially host a World Cup match in 2026.
World Cup of what?
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Post by davidj on Jun 20, 2023 22:27:24 GMT -5
That’s a LOT of acres (286) to only accommodate five little fields & two 11v11 fields… plus a “stadium field”. I’d probably call it a Multi-Use Sports Complex rather than a “soccer complex”? |
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Post by newposter on Jun 21, 2023 8:47:38 GMT -5
286 acres islarge but the main feature is a 10,000 seat stadium. It will take a lot of parking area to house that number of fans plus venue employees, players, etc. The other areas are secondary to the large stadium.
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Post by davidj on Jun 21, 2023 9:58:43 GMT -5
For context:
Chastain Park is 268 acres park and includes jogging paths, playgrounds, tennis courts, a golf course, swimming pool, horse park and amphitheater.
Piedmont Park is 189 acres with lots of stuff & parking, too.
My point is… if they wanna be a destination “Soccer Complex”, add more proper fields.
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Post by newguy on Jun 21, 2023 10:48:05 GMT -5
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Post by newposter on Jun 21, 2023 11:21:51 GMT -5
They are also completely renovating RYSA scheduled to start in October (demolition of the old indoor facility) with new fieldd and another County soccer venue in the immediate area. The location of the 10,000 seat stadium is in north "Rock"dale and is home to the Georgia International Horsepark, a golf course and a hotel. An additional new development piece just approved will be a location for rodeos in addition to the existing horsepark. There will be plenty of new soccer fields there with the 3 locations all within 3 miles and all new. There are other plans in the works for the academy program which will be coming in the near future. The fields are but one piece of the big plan. Go East Atlanta Dutch Lions!
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Post by soccerhambo on Jan 31, 2024 9:49:31 GMT -5
Huge soccer news coming out of the City of Conyers in Rockdale County involving RYSA Revolution - East Atlanta's Premier Soccer Club and the Dutch Lions! This all turned out to be a huge mess. Lots of promises, none delivered. None of the construction ever took place. They ended up defaulting on the winning bit to purchase the horse park property because they never paid their earnest money. www.rockdalenewtoncitizen.com/news/soccer-project-at-georgia-international-horse-park-on-hold/article_4b7c745c-5360-11ee-ae13-8bf2d697d2be.html The club itself has lost plenty of coaches and the Director of Coaching sent a message to all parents resigning and stated that she and others haven't been paid in over a month and that the bills are stacking up. Last night at a team manager meeting it was communicated that the club is being evicted off the land. Total mess. No telling how many kids will be lost in the mix of all this. |
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Post by terimakasih12 on Jan 31, 2024 10:07:40 GMT -5
Yet another failed project. Sigh.
About the club issues, that’s so disappointing for the kids. We’ve played a few EADL teams and the top teams were surprisingly good. I wonder if several of the kids will go to GSA.
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Post by soccerhambo on Jan 31, 2024 10:28:32 GMT -5
Yet another failed project. Sigh. About the club issues, that’s so disappointing for the kids. We’ve played a few EADL teams and the top teams were surprisingly good. I wonder if several of the kids will go to GSA. It's heart breaking. Worst part is no official communication has come out, so those who aren't paying attention will be stuck. It's all word of mouth or by being "in the know". I was really excited to hear about all of this coming, but I must admit I was a little skeptical from the beginning. I was holding out hope for great things! RYSA has been a shadow of it's 90's self for a long time unfortunately. |
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Post by rudy on Jan 31, 2024 11:28:48 GMT -5
That is really too bad. Is this just for the youth program or the USL2 teams also?
Rysa used to be a strong club. Not sure what happened. Hopefully some of the nearby clubs will absorb some of the players.
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Post by soccerhambo on Jan 31, 2024 11:55:00 GMT -5
That is really too bad. Is this just for the youth program or the USL2 teams also? Rysa used to be a strong club. Not sure what happened. Hopefully some of the nearby clubs will absorb some of the players. I know for a fact youth because we're effected. I can't speak for USL2. The problem is that no communication is going out. I've called, emailed, Facebook messaged... crickets. Most are wondering how to get club releases. Only the generic blast that practices and tryouts were cancelled this week and will be rescheduled. |
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Post by bogan on Jan 31, 2024 14:54:43 GMT -5
Man, this really sucks-I’m sorry for all those affected.
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Post by oraclesfriend on Jan 31, 2024 15:15:35 GMT -5
EADL girls teams pulled out of the E64 playoffs. They had some good players on their teams. Too bad. They were not total studs but they were solid enough to help some ECRL and SCCL teams. Not a big issue for the high school kids since they have that, but for the younger players it is sad. Hopefully people will get on teams!
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Post by goaliemom11 on Jan 31, 2024 22:22:51 GMT -5
EADL girls teams pulled out of the E64 playoffs. They had some good players on their teams. Too bad. They were not total studs but they were solid enough to help some ECRL and SCCL teams. Not a big issue for the high school kids since they have that, but for the younger players it is sad. Hopefully people will get on teams! Not all of the EADL girls teams pulled out of playoffs. U13G were present in Orlando. But yes, many teams did not go--primarily due to coaches that had not been paid in months and coaches travel costs not being paid by the club (as it was previously promised). RYSA was managed much better than these owners from Dutch Lions, who can't manage to pay the bills or take care of their coaches. There are some really good players coming from the club that will be looking for opportunities to play for Spring. I hope that the local community clubs will be willing to open up supplemental tryouts for them. |
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Post by rudy on Feb 1, 2024 8:21:41 GMT -5
EAFC USLA and USL2 teams at RYSA seem to be a go. They had an Instagram post that came out this morning. I am not sure if they are separate from the other teams or not.
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Post by atlchiefs on Feb 1, 2024 9:19:34 GMT -5
Regarding the e64 girls playoffs, the 2005/2006 girls played as well. Since AFU was working with them to help with players, it appears that some EADL families may not have known they were to go to Orlando for the event until December. Also, some EADL families did not have funds to go. Add in that this event was essentially a Friday through Monday event as school restarted. So maybe it was just a few teams that missed the event, for different reasons.
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Post by soccerhambo on Feb 1, 2024 12:18:32 GMT -5
Hopefully GA Soccer can resolve the issues with players that are trying to leave. Right now, EADL is radio silent and players are stuck with them. No progress thus far.
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Post by redhawk on Feb 1, 2024 12:46:26 GMT -5
Looks like the USL2 and USL Academy is going back under East Atlanta FC. They were probably set up separately under the EADL umbrella and could be folded back out of it.
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Post by goaliemom11 on Feb 1, 2024 14:28:20 GMT -5
Hopefully GA Soccer can resolve the issues with players that are trying to leave. Right now, EADL is radio silent and players are stuck with them. No progress thus far. Yep. Now both Directors of Coaching have resigned this week and the remaining few staff are radio silent. The East Atlanta FC USL teams are now back under the rightful owners (not under Dutch Lions) from my understanding. |
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Post by soccerhambo on Feb 1, 2024 15:14:27 GMT -5
Hopefully GA Soccer can resolve the issues with players that are trying to leave. Right now, EADL is radio silent and players are stuck with them. No progress thus far. Yep. Now both Directors of Coaching have resigned this week and the remaining few staff are radio silent. The East Atlanta FC USL teams are now back under the rightful owners (not under Dutch Lions) from my understanding. I've called, texted and emailed anyone I can think of. No answers from anyone that still works from the club. I reached out to GA Soccer and they are still trying to figure it out as well with no definitive answer. My understanding is that one man held all the cards, access to the computer, books, etc. and he has gone silent and not responding to anyone. There is talk from remaining staff (that haven't been paid) that they "think" they may be able to pull off a spring season somehow at another set of fields, but aren't sure yet. Players still stuck for now. |
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Post by futbolhero on Feb 2, 2024 16:04:59 GMT -5
That is really too bad. Is this just for the youth program or the USL2 teams also? Rysa used to be a strong club. Not sure what happened. Hopefully some of the nearby clubs will absorb some of the players. I know for a fact youth because we're effected. I can't speak for USL2. The problem is that no communication is going out. I've called, emailed, Facebook messaged... crickets. Most are wondering how to get club releases. Only the generic blast that practices and tryouts were cancelled this week and will be rescheduled. Unfortunately this is status quo for soccer. Communication is not a very strong suit of administrators or coaches. |
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Post by futbolhero on Feb 2, 2024 16:15:02 GMT -5
Hopefully GA Soccer can resolve the issues with players that are trying to leave. Right now, EADL is radio silent and players are stuck with them. No progress thus far. Yep. Now both Directors of Coaching have resigned this week and the remaining few staff are radio silent. The East Atlanta FC USL teams are now back under the rightful owners (not under Dutch Lions) from my understanding. They have multiple teams playing in tournaments over the next few weeks. I hope the kids get to play. |
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Post by futbolmama on Feb 2, 2024 23:02:57 GMT -5
The good news is RYSA is being taken over a big and nice club from Gwinnett! Good changes are to come.
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Post by futbolhero on Feb 2, 2024 23:20:41 GMT -5
The good news is RYSA is being taken over a big and nice club from Gwinnett! Good changes are to come. I hope you didn’t use those words to describe GSA. |
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