Florida Gulf Coast Dutch Lions
| Full name | Florida Gulf Coast Dutch Lions FC | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Dutch Lions | ||
| Founded | April 2015 | ||
| Owner |
Dutch Lions consulting group Mike Mossel | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
| |||
Florida Gulf Coast Dutch Lions FC is an American soccer team based in Cape Coral, Florida, United States.
The club was founded in 2015. In season 2015/2016 they had 52 members in the youth academy. This amount of players doubled at the start of season 2016/2017 to 130 members in the Youth Academy.
The Florida Gulf Coast Dutch Lions U9 qualified in June 2016 for the National Open in Orlando, Florida. They finished 3rd in the Silver Bracket during the National Open.
In January the U13 Girls became 2nd at the Dimitri Cup in Naples, 1 of the biggest tournaments in Florida.
In February 2017 the U10B won the Bazooka President's Day Tournament in Winter Haven with a 5-4 victory in the final.[1]
In February 2017 Florida Gulf Coast Dutch Lions FC took over the WPSL license from Palm City and became the 1st club in Lee County with a WPSL license. The club has a collaboration with ADO Den Haag from The Netherlands.[2]
History
The team is supported by Dutch Eredivisie side FC Twente, and is co-owned by Erik Tammer of Tammer Sportmanagement and Mike Mossel of Business and Sports Performance. Tammer is a former professional soccer player in the Netherlands who played for clubs such as sc Heerenveen and Sparta Rotterdam, while Mossel played in Europe for RBC Roosendaal and Turnhout, and in the USL for the Cincinnati Riverhawks following his graduation from Xavier University.
In the summer of 2015 the Super 20 team played in the United Soccer Leagues' Super-20 League.
In the summer of 2016 the men's team played several friendly games in Florida.
The Dutch Lions FC consists of four franchises in the USA: Dayton Dutch Lions FC, Houston Dutch Lions FC, Cincinnati Dutch Lions FC and Florida Gulf Coast Dutch Lions FC.
Colors and badge
Florida Gulf Coast Dutch Lions FC crest is a modified version of Dayton Dutch Lions' logo, featuring the white and blue field, with an orange lion centered on the crest. The script above the vector lion reads the club's name.
Training ground
Jim Jeffers Park, Cape Coral , Florida, United States
Women's team
Florida Gulf Coast Dutch Lions FC will play during the summer in Sunshine Division of WPSL, second level of competitive soccer in USA. They will play their games at North Fort Myers Community Park in North Fort Myers.[3]
On February 10 Florida Gulf Coast Dutch Lions FC signed their first player: Keely Cecil.[4]
Staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| General Manager |  Jouko Gorissen |
| Director of Soccer Operations | Vincent de Weger |
| Academy Director | Davy Hendrks |
| Academy Manager | Menno Vermeer |
| Youth Coach |  Danilo Cortes |
| Youth Coach |  John Teeter |
| Youth Coach | Chris Vianest |
| Fitness Coach |  Tina Kaiser |
References
- ↑ http://www.fgcdlfc.com/2017/02/fgcdl-fc-u10b-win-bazooka-presidents-day-tournament/
- ↑ http://www.nbc-2.com/story/34420977/womens-premier-soccer-league-adding-gulf-coast-team?clienttype=mobile
- ↑ http://www.fgcdlfc.com/2017/02/florida-gulf-coast-dutch-lions-fc-launches-womens-team/
- ↑ http://www.fgcdlfc.com/2017/02/fgcdl-fc-signs-keely-cecil-as-their-first-player-for-the-womens-team/