When the North American Soccer League collapsed in the mid 80s, the rest of the world looked at America with raised eyebrows, wondering how we failed to embrace the beautiful game. Those eyebrows are beginning to lower ever so slightly now as America slowly but surely learns to love soccer. Whether complainy-pants like Jim Rome like it or not, Major League Soccer is over a decade old and in good health, even more so once David Beckham makes his semi-messianic arrival at Los Angeles Galaxy this summer. The Richmond Kickers won’t be signing a Beckham anytime soon, but the local United Soccer League franchise is equally important in making sure soccer is here to stay this time.

Despite the general forward momentum, minor league professional soccer franchises are still anything but stable. For a perfect example you need drive just two hours east on I-64 where the Virginia Beach Mariners franchise was terminated by USL last month following a bizarre squabble over ownership. Two competing parties both refused to take financial responsibility for the team and just like that another soccer franchise bit the dust, with the local community losing all the soccer-related benefits of having a pro team in town.

But the Richmond Kickers are still going strong, having been around since 1993. Leigh Cowlishaw has been involved since the beginning, first as a player and now as both Head Coach and Vice President of Soccer Programs. “The simple reason I’ve been involved so long with the Kickers is that I really enjoy all aspects of the job,” says the Englishman. “Over several years we’ve grown the Kickers from a professional team that played six home games in the summer of 1993 to a full service soccer club with numerous programs and over 5,000 members. In many ways it’s a dream job as it involves soccer 24/7. One day I’m coaching pros, the next aspiring youth players.”

Which is why the Kickers—and other well run franchises like them—are as integral to the future of U.S. soccer as that bloke who’s married to Posh Spice. Cowlishaw and other Kickers coaches run clinics and soccer camps for youth players, getting themselves out in the Richmond community and nurturing appreciation for soccer, whether it’s talented youngsters on their youth teams or recreational players just looking to enjoy the game. The Kickers also run positive community education initiatives like “Score with Reading,” a loosely soccer-themed, incentive-based program that encourages students to improve their reading skills.

The Kickers are no slouches on the field either, with the 1995 U.S. Open Cup sitting proudly in the trophy cabinet. In 2005 they narrowly lost the USL-1 championship game by a single penalty kick, but in 2006 the Kickers took the unprecedented move of voluntarily relegating the franchise from USL-1 to USL-2, dropping down to the third tier of professional soccer. Wasn’t that like marching into the boss’s office and demanding a demotion and a pay cut? Well, sort of.

Cowlishaw explained that the thinking behind the decision was “to ensure the long-term success of the Richmond Kickers Soccer Club and to focus on the growth of our programs and participation numbers.” To draw a rough analogy, imagine if you were based in Richmond but regularly commuting to Seattle and were so busy trying to make ends meet that you weren’t spending enough time with the kids. Basically the step down means no more expensive cross-country flights and also more time and money to focus on soccer in Richmond. “We’re a Richmond club and we’re about promoting Richmond. We’re about giving opportunities to our community and that’s the mindset of our ownership and that’s how we go about taking care of our mission statement.” It’s that type of thinking that should ensure the Kickers longevity.

In the meantime, there’s still silverware to win. It didn’t receive too much press, but the Kickers dominated USL-2 in 2006. The team finished as USL-2 champions and were voted Organization of the Year, while Cowlishaw was named Coach of the Year and forward Robert Ssejjemba was named MVP. Not too shabby. So now Cowlishaw and company are preparing for another season in USL-2, this time as defending champions. “It’s difficult to improve on that,” says the coach. “You’ve just got to go out and do it again. Obviously it’s going to be harder because now we’re the champions there’s that added ingredient where we’re the team to beat.”

First to try will be Cincinnati Kings, who visit University of Richmond stadium when the regular season kicks off on Saturday. The Kickers’ roster looks up to the challenge. Robert Ssejjemba is back following his brief sojourn to D.C. United, and Kickers fans will be pleased to see the Ugandan goal-machine again, even if opposition goalkeepers are not. Former MLS number one draft pick Chris Carrieri won’t be returning, neither will fullbacks Ray Goodlett and Tony Williams, but Cowlishaw’s added a nice local contingent, picking up Charlie Howe and Kevin Edwards, natives of Mechanicsville and Fredericksburg respectively. Factor in the acquisition of former Georgetown University standout Ricky Schramm and 2006 USL-2 Rookie of the Year Nowaf Jaman and things are looking good for 2007.

Typically, Cowlishaw and the Kickers are thinking long term. “We’re building the infrastructure, but the final piece is that we need a home,” he says. Right now home is the University of Richmond stadium, which could be worse, but it wasn’t designed for soccer. What the Kickers want and need is a soccer specific stadium to get the entire organization under one roof. “We need a home for the Pro team, the PDL team and the W-League team. We need a home for all the Richmond Kickers youth players where we can train, and have an environment where you’ve got all those pieces interacting at one location … It’s something we’ve been working on for a couple of years.”

Last but not least, the Kickers need people attending the games. Ticket sales and attendances have grown in the last two seasons and that trend needs to continue. “We’ve provided quality soccer over the last ten, fifteen years and we’ve been quite successful and we try and provide an entertaining product,” says Cowlishaw. “So if people want pro soccer to grow and they want the benefits of having those pro players in our community and make an impact on the youth then, hopefully, they’ll come out and support us.”

Saturday, April 21 the Richmond Kickers host the Cincinnati Kings in the 2007 regular season home opener.  Kickoff is set for 7pm at the University of Richmond Stadium. Gates open at 6pm.

www.richmondkickers.com