Greater Lowell United FC
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| Full name | Greater Lowell United Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | GLUFC, Lowell Dragons | ||
| Founded | 2013 | ||
| Ground |
Cawley Memorial Stadium Lowell, Massachusetts | ||
| Capacity | 6,000 | ||
| Co-Founder(s) | Tim Melican & Manny Andrade | ||
| Owner | Andrea Gauntlett & Manny Andrade | ||
| Head Coach | Hayden Barbosa | ||
| League | National Premier Soccer League | ||
| Website | Club home page | ||
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Greater Lowell United FC is an American soccer club based in Lowell, Massachusetts that plays in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid. GLUFC's professional-level team began play in the North Atlantic Conference of the NPSL in 2014. GLUFC also fields a junior team in the Massachusetts-based Bay State Soccer League.
The team plays its NPSL home games on an artificial-turf field at historic Cawley Memorial Stadium, located in the Belvidere section of Lowell. In 2014, the NPSL team also played in Bedford and Lawrence, but Cawley is now the permanent home to GLUFC's top team. The junior team plays BSSL matches at Greater Lowell Technical High School.
History
Greater Lowell United FC was founded in 2013 as an expansion team to join the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) for the 2014 season. GLUFC also fielded two junior teams that season, one in the Massachusetts State Soccer League (MSSL) and one in the Bay State Soccer League (BSSL). The club dropped the MSSL team after the 2014 season but kept a team in the BSSL. In 2015, GLUFC's junior team is only competing in the second half of the 2015 BSSL season.
GLUFC's top team has played two seasons in the NPSL, a professional-level league that includes reserve teams from North American Soccer League (NASL) clubs. In 2014, the team won one game, drew one game and lost 10 games. GLUFC struggled early on under Coach Jason Moore, a former Major League Soccer (MLS) No. 1 draft pick, but rebounded under Coach Daniel Hristov, who replaced Moore after the second game of the season. Shortly after Hristov's arrival, the 2014 team beat the Rhode Island Reds, 2–0, in Bedford, and drew 0–0 with New York Athletic Club in Lawrence. However, Hristov and the club parted ways for the 2015 NPSL season, which saw Luis Costa arrive as head coach. Costa's sides performed well in several matches but failed to achieve results, losing 9 games and drawing one before Costa departed the club with two games left to play. Hayden Barbosa, an assistant coach at Daniel Webster College, coached the final two games, both of which were losses, but one of which was an impressive 2–1 decision dropped to eventual undefeated NPSL champions New York Cosmos reserves in New York.
Barbosa will take over as coach of the NPSL team for the 2016 season, which will likely begin in May. The NPSL team will begin training in April. The NPSL schedule runs for 12 games from May through July. The junior team's BSSL schedule features a split season with spring and fall sessions. In 2015, GLUFC is only participating in the fall session.
GLUFC consistently has the highest attendance numbers in its conference of the NPSL and doubled attendance from 2014 to 2015. The club has a presence on social media, with more than 3000 likes on Facebook and more than 900 followers on Twitter.
Mission
According to the club's directors, GLUFC strives to provide opportunities for young soccer players in the Greater Lowell area they might not otherwise have. The NPSL is a development league aimed at producing players who will go on to earn college scholarship or pro contracts, and GLUFC exists in order to help its players achieve those goals. The club is committed to providing an environment in which players can develop their games and face top-level competition. GLUFC regularly welcomes scouts from NASL and MLS clubs. The club had its first significant success story in 2015, as goalkeeper Sam Manning earned a spot in the soccer team at Millersville University.[1] Manning credited GLUFC with providing the opportunity for him to succeed as a soccer player.
GLUFC also hopes to provide fans in the Greater Lowell area with access to affordable, entertaining, professional-level soccer as well as a welcoming venue for family outings.
Ownership
In the summer of 2013, Lowell locals Tim Melican and Manny Andrade founded GLUFC and began as co-owners of the club. In 2014, Tyngsborough businessperson Andrea Gauntlett took a controlling interest in the team, with Melican and Andrade assuming smaller ownership roles. In 2015, Melican left the club altogether and forfeited his ownership share. Gauntlett is now majority owner of the club, with Andrade holding a minority stake. The club also has a board of directors made up of several residents of the Greater Lowell area.
Head Coach
Hayden Barbosa will serve as head coach of GLUFC's professional-level National Premier Soccer League team in 2016.[2]
Hayden is a proud native of Lowell and son of former professional soccer player Manoel “Boom-Boom” Barbosa, a powerful striker who played for the likes of Clube Atletico Mineiro and Cruzeiro F.C. (Brazil), Aris F.C. (Greece), and Clube Universidad de Guaralajara (Mexico), as well as playing for the Boston Astros during the same era the legendary Pele played for the New York Cosmos.
Born with congenital talipes equinovarus, more commonly known as clubfeet, Hayden understands the meaning of adversity, dedication and hard work. Throughout his youth career, Hayden was formally trained to be a right back. Although he had the potential to develop into the striker his father was, Boom-Boom worried that given Hayden’s anatomic development, it might be better for him to play in the back, where he wouldn’t be tackled from behind.
During his time as a student-athlete at Dean College (Franklin, Mass.), and then Lasell College (Newton, Mass.), Hayden was twice named to the North Atlantic Conference all-conference first team and led Lasell to a NAC championship in 2002. The following year, Hayden participated in Lasell’s first-ever berth in the NCAA national championship tournament. That same year, he was chosen to play in the prestigious New England Intercollegiate Soccer League all-star game, where he competed with the top players from Divisions I, II and III in the Northeast Region.
As a youth Coach, Hayden has literally coached every age and level. As owner and director of Clubfoot Soccer Clinics, Hayden has provided professional instruction to players of all ages and levels through his camps, youth programs and club teams for more than 15 years in Southern New Hampshire and Northern Massachusetts.
Hayden’s collegiate coaching career started in 2011 at Lasell under head Coach Giovanni Pacini (Master Coach, NSCAA). While at Lasell, Hayden’s soccer knowledge reached new levels under Pacini’s guidance. This enabled Hayden to reach a deeper level of understanding of coaching the game. In Hayden’s first season with Lasell, the team finished 9–8–2. Unsettled with the record, Hayden launched his first recruiting season. The following year, the Lasers finished 15–4–1 and then 17–4–2 the year after that, while achieving regional rankings and graduating several all-conference and all-American players.
After a three-season stint at Lasell College, Hayden moved onto Daniel Webster College (Nashua, NH). A former Nashua High School athlete, he was elated by the opportunity to return to his former hometown to assist Coach Matt Correia, a childhood friend. Together, the two developed the most successful team in the history of the program. In the fall of 2014, the Eagles finished 15–6–1 and won the North Eastern Collegiate Conference championship, showcasing several all-conference and all-regional selections and several record breakers.
Hayden joined Greater Lowell United in its second season in the NPSL in 2015 as an assistant halfway through the season. With two games left in the season, he assumed the position of head coach, where he led the team to noticeable improvement. Under Hayden's leadership, GLUFC has launched an extensive search for top-notch players to compete in the professional-level NPSL.
Hayden is a proud member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of American (NSCAA) and holds several advanced diplomas. His educational background is in sports management and education, and he aspires to attain a master’s degree in recreation and sport sciences with a concentration in soccer coaching from Ohio University.
2015 NPSL Roster
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Colors and crest
The club’s home colors are black and green, while on the road the team wears green and white. The motto Magnus Viridis (Big Green) is prevalent on the club’s coat of arms.
External links
References
- ↑ "Read How GLUFC Changed One Player's Life – News – Greater Lowell United FC". www.glufc.com. Retrieved 2015-10-07.
- ↑ "Hayden Barbosa to Coach GLUFC in 2016 – News – Greater Lowell United FC". www.glufc.com. Retrieved 2015-10-07.
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