VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced on Monday that Ryan Clark has joined the club as manager of collegiate transition. Clark will educate and assist athletes and families in the club’s development programs, focusing on earning and retaining athletic and academic scholarships both locally and across North America.
“While our Residency program is first focused on professional opportunities, many players throughout our various youth development programs will look to pursue a college or university scholarship,” said Whitecaps FC director of soccer development Dan Lenarduzzi. “As a club, we want to make sure that we have two strong player paths, including a collegiate stream parallel to our professional stream that will provide education and transition services for all Whitecaps FC development programs. We are very pleased to have someone with Ryan’s experience join the club.”
In his role, Clark will focus on the collegiate transition process and delivering recruiting education workshops for players and families in the club’s Residency and Girls Elite programs, regional Academy Centres, and the club’s high performance partner league: the BC Soccer Premier League (BCSPL). Clark brings more than a decade of experience guiding hundreds of top young athletes, across multiple sports, in earning and retaining athletic and academic scholarships to prestigious institutions across North America.
As founding and current tournament director for the annual Odlum Brown Vancouver Open pro tennis tournament, Clark’s event experience will also support the growth of the Whitecaps FC Showcase presented by Sport Chek, continuing to build the club’s reputation as Western Canada’s top talent hub.
For more information on Whitecaps FC youth programs, visit whitecapsfc.com or contact Dan Lenarduzzi at dlenarduzzi@whitecapsfc.com
