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Men's Soccer Brandon Sans

Ritchie Joins Men's Soccer Staff

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – UNCW men's soccer Head Coach Aidan Heaney added James Ritchie as an assistant coach for the 2022 season.

Ritchie brings coaching experience at the youth, high school, college, and professional levels. The Glasgow, Scotland, native comes to Wilmington after a brief tenure coaching goalkeepers for a youth club in Tennessee.

"We are delighted to add James to our staff and to have him join our Seahawk family. He brings a wide range of experience," said Heaney, entering his 22nd year with UNCW. "James will be involved in all facets of our program, but will work primarily with our goalkeepers. I am sure they will learn from him, and he can continue to help our committed group with their development."

Prior to his time in Tennessee, Ritchie served as a Director of Soccer Operations, Director of Goalkeeping, and a youth coach for Sporting Oklahoma, a Major League Soccer youth affiliate based in Moore, Okla.

The veteran coach previously served as the Head Coach of the Kitsap Pumas, a former Premier Development League squad. Ritchie joined the Bremerton, Wash., based team in June 2009 as an assistant coach and Youth Summer Camp Director, where he helped the Pumas to the 2011 PDL Championship. He ascended to the manager seat in Nov. 2012, a position he held for three seasons.

Ritchie also guided Olympic College as head coach during the 2010 and 2011 seasons. Under Ritchie's tutelage, the Rangers were Northwest Athletic Conference Finalists for the first time in school history following a seven-win improvement in 2011. Ritchie was honored as the 2011 West Division Coach of the Year for the turnaround.

Following his tenure in the Pacific Northwest, Ritchie joined the OKC Energy FC organization in 2014 as an assistant coach and helped the United Soccer League squad to two Western Conference Finalists seasons in 2015 and 2017. While in Oklahoma City, Ritchie also supervised the youth summer camps and coached girls youth teams.

The goalkeeper coach began his coaching career in his native Scotland in 2003. He has coached at high schools in Massachusetts, Washington and Oklahoma throughout his coaching career.

Ritchie holds a UEFA B coaching license as well as a United Soccer Coaches Premier Diploma.

 
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