SAVANNAH CLOVERS FC APPOINT DAVID PROCTOR AS FIRST HEAD COACH OF PROFESSIONAL SOCCER CLUB
Savannah, 29 June 2022: Savannah Clovers FC is proud to confirm the appointment of head coach David Proctor who will lead the club in their inaugural season in the National Independent Soccer Association league (NISA) in 2023.
“We are delighted to have David Proctor join Savannah Clovers FC as our first ever head coach as we embark on a new professional era for this soccer club,” says CEO Shane Folgado. “We are confident that David possesses the necessary coaching experience and expertise required as we navigate our first season as a professional soccer club with the hard work starting now in preparation for 2023’s kick-off.”
“I’m thrilled at being given this opportunity to guide Savannah Clovers FC as the first head coach of this exciting soccer club,” says David Proctor. “I’ve had numerous meetings with the passionate ownership group and being a resident in the city with my family meant I had my heart set out on landing this position from day one – I’m looking forward to starting the new role as we gear up for March 2023 when NISA gets underway and we go about building the club one block at a time.”
Born in York, England, Proctor began his youth career with Aston Villa before embarking on his professional career that saw him take in stints with Hull City, Middlesbrough and Halifax Town. Proctor made the move to the United States towards the end of his playing career most notably in spells with Indiana Blast and Richmond Kickers were he began familiarizing himself with the soccer landscape in North America.
After gaining his various coaching qualifications, Proctor holds a UEFA A-licence, he began his career in Major League Soccer (MLS) with the Colorado Rapids and Columbus Crew over a 12-year period that culminated in a MLS Cup title with the Rapids in 2010 while head coach of the reserve team.
Proctor was then recruited by Nashville SC as an assistant coach during their inaugural USL Championship season in 2018 where the club excelled making the USL Championship Playoffs and defeating the Colorado Rapids in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in their maiden season. Following a successful three-year spell with Nashville SC Proctor took on a role with the Charleston Battery in the USL as the Director of Coaching across the entire club which oversaw coaching implementation, scouting and opposition research spanning a two-year period.
Most recently Proctor was in a Director of Coaching role where he was heavily involved in the planning and developing of training sessions, scouting, recruitment and analysis as well as overseeing the club’s MLS Next u19 group.
Proctor has now been tasked with taking the managerial reigns at Savannah Clovers as the club looks forward to bringing the world’s game to the historic and beloved city of Savannah. Proctor must start that process by building a team that will represent the hostess city on the field of play and that will get the community rallying around this newly professionalized soccer club.
About Savannah Clovers Football Club
Savannah Clovers Football Club is a Community-based soccer team founded on June 23, 2016 as a local amateur club. The team played in the United Premier Soccer League for five seasons and participated in both the 2020 and 2021 editions of the NISA Independent Cup. The club’s mission is to bring the highest levels of soccer to the Hostess City, while engaging players, fans and local businesses to serve our community. In 2022 Savannah Clovers received a major financial investment resulting in the club turning professional and gaining membership into NISA (The National Independent Soccer League sanctioned as a National Division Three League by the United States Soccer Federation). Savannah Clovers FC will begin their inaugural season in NISA as the city’s first professional outdoor soccer season in March of 2023.
The National Independent Soccer Association was founded in 2017 with a mission to bring professional soccer to every city in the United States. A pro league member of U.S. Soccer, NISA focuses on a model based on meritocracy, independent clubs controlling their own league, clubs owning their intellectual property, all without the barrier of territorial rights. A member of the U.S. Soccer Federation, NISA also runs the mid-summer Independent Cup, open to independent professional and amateur clubs alike, and NISA Nation, an incubator league for amateur clubs interested in going pro.