Louisville’s new pro team names its first head coach
Racing Louisville, the expansion franchise set to begin play in the National Women’s Soccer League next year, has announced its first head coach.
Christy Holly, announced via a press release Wednesday morning, is a native of Ireland and longtime coach in the United States, including a recent stint as an opposition scout for the World Cup-winning U.S. Women’s National Team.
“I would like to thank (United States Women’s National Team coach) Vlatko Andonovski and U.S. Soccer for their help in releasing Christy so he could join us,” said James O’Connor, Racing Louisville FC’s executive vice president of development who oversaw the coaching search. “Christy has a plethora of experience in the professional women’s game, and we are bringing in a well-rounded individual to coach our team.
Holly was last an NWSL head coach in 2016, leading Sky Blue FC to a 7-8-5 mark. He is engaged to Christie Pearce Rampone, a former captain of the USWNT.
“It has been an exhaustive search involving an array of candidates from all backgrounds. Christy’s experience with elite youth talent and rapport with the National Team was a big differentiator for us,” O’Connor said.
What’s next?
Racing Louisville FC will play home games at Lynn Family Stadium, also home of the two-time USL champions Louisville City FC. Both Racing and LouCity’s daily operations will be based at a new training facility about 2 miles east of the stadium scheduled to open next spring.
Racing Louisville touts that its season-ticket campaign is already approaching 3,000 sold.
“It’s first class, and I have no doubt in my mind that the club’s resources and facilities are going to be the best in the league,” Holly said. “The stadium’s the perfect fit for the NWSL, where we’re able to have a good crowd there and a full-stadium feeling. We’ll generate a great atmosphere at games.”
Racing Louisville’s first batch of players will come from the rest of the league in an NWSL expansion draft toward the end of the year where it will have a chance to obtain some NWSL veterans. Then, in January, it will take part in the NWSL’s regular college draft. Dates have not been announced for those events.
“I’ve been fortunate the last three years to be scouring the world for talent,” Holly said. “There shouldn’t be a player that I’m not aware of. When it comes to our recruitment, we’ll be very particular. It’s not just about the player. It’s about the person. They have to fit the culture that we have at the organization.”
The 2021 NWSL season also has not been announced, but typically begins in late March or early April. Racing Louisville is accepting season ticket deposits via its website, RacingLouFC.com.
The NWSL recently completed its Challenge Cup tournament involving teams that sequestered themselves in Utah to get competition going during the pandemic. It also recently announced another expansion franchise in Los Angeles to begin play in 2022.
