Chattanooga, TN. – Wednesday morning the Chattanooga Red Wolves Academy named former Vanderbilt Soccer Head Coach, Derek Greene, as their Executive Vice President.
“The opportunity to become part of a professional organization like the Red Wolves was very exciting,” says Derek Greene. “To be able to work around a great group of people and help build a brand in its early stages is an exciting challenge. The enthusiasm, vision, and commitment from members within this organization is contagious and I’m excited to be a part of it.”
Coming off a successful first year that included breaking Soccer America’s top 100 clubs ranking, 5 players on the all American watchlist, 21 college commitments, a championship victory at the nation’s top tournament and acceptance into one of the top leagues in the country, it was without doubt that the newly minted Executive VP position would be of high demand.
“We had interest and applicants from all over the country as well as internationally,” says Academy President Chad Mize. “We conducted several interviews with top-notch candidates and are excited to announce that Derek Greene will be our Executive Vice President. His experience and knowledge for the game paired with his energy and passion for growing youth soccer will fit in well with our organization.”
“Our goals are to provide an experience that creates a true pathway to pro while making the sport as affordable and accessible to as many young players as possible,” says Greene. “Having an impact on the sport in the community is paramount and we want to help influence the game at all levels. Educating coaches and parents, developing players, and providing various levels of competition for our academy players is something we will take great pride in as we move forward.”
Greene has a lifetime of soccer experience under his belt. He played collegiate soccer at the University of Tennessee Knoxville and went on to play for the Chattanooga Express in the ’90s. He went on to coach 18-years of collegiate women’s soccer, which included programs such as Vanderbilt, Ole-Miss, Carson-Newman College, and Belmont University. Most recently he spent five years at Vanderbilt University, where he coached six All-SEC players, led the team to victories over two top-10 teams, and coached Simone Charley, who has recently played for the Portland Thorns of the NWSL.
Prior to being hired by the Red Wolves, Greene was the Director of Business Development at Tennessee State Soccer Association. During his time there, he led the in-market promotion of US men’s and women’s national team games, Man City vs Tottenham, and assisted in promoting Nashville SC’s inaugural game that set an attendance record for a soccer game in Tennessee. Greene also oversaw the Cleveland Grimes Friendship Cup which is named for longtime Chattanooga resident Cleveland Grimes, helped implement the Game Changer Project to deliver soccer in schools to underserved communities across Tennessee, and helped bring Mia Hamm and Abby Wambach to run youth camps in Tennessee, along with many other tasks.
