Kicking into High Gear: Richmond Hill Soccer Club Thrives Under Leadership of Former Professional Player

𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐛𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐮𝐝𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞 
𝐏𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐲 𝐛𝐲 𝐄𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐳

In this country, the days of soccer being a niche sport and players arriving for practice and games in minivans have largely ended. An explosive growth fueled by the success of the women’s national team and the formation of professional leagues has kicked soccer into the company of cool sports.

Around the country, teams and leagues are forming, providing a growing pool of talent to compete at a world class level and subsequently add to soccer’s cool quotient. It all starts at the local level and with such programs as the Richmond Hill Soccer Club (RHSC).

The club, the ninth largest in the state and the third largest as far as recreation players, has been around for 10 years and features recreation and competitive squads for youngsters and adult teams. There are 50 to 60 youth recreation teams and 10 competitive teams. Four teams make up the adult sector. Games are played at DeVaul Henderson Park in Richmond Hill.

𝐑𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛

RHSC is a non-profit club offering recreational, developmental and competitive youth soccer to foster character, community and love for the game of soccer. The club—as stated on its website—promotes technical and tactical soccer skills, physical and mental development, self-confidence, teamwork and respect of self and others. Its mission is to push each player to reach his or her full potential while providing an optimum experience. Its goal, pardon the pun, is to serve as many players as possible in Richmond Hill and the surrounding areas with a first-class soccer club experience.

Although RHSC serves Savannah, Fort Stewart, Hinesville, Jesup, Pooler, Hunter AAF, Effingham County and other surrounding areas, the majority of its players are local. “It’s truly a community club,” said executive director Charlie Morgan. “Ninety-five percent of the players are local.”

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧: 𝐀𝐧 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬

Morgan, 61, has been the executive director since 2020. His soccer resume is an impressive one, both as a player and coach.

Growing up in Atlanta, Morgan started with youth soccer and continued to play through high school. “I always wanted to play soccer as a kid,” said Morgan, a defender on the pitch.

Morgan played at Georgia State University for two years before transferring to Clemson University. That proved to be a good move. The Tigers won the national championship in 1984. While many soccer players head to the sidelines following college, Morgan wasn’t one of them.

He played pro indoor soccer for seven years, competing for teams in Cleveland, Atlanta and Kansas City. “It was a fantastic feeling to fulfill a dream of playing professional soccer,” Morgan said. “It was a magical feeling to get paid to play a game you’d play for free.”

Morgan wasn’t quite ready to hang up his cleats. He played semipro before embarking on a managerial career that included serving as an assistant with the Clemson University men’s team, coaching the Atlanta Magic in the United States Indoor Soccer League, and working as assistant coach and head coach with the Atlanta Ruckus.

In 1999, Morgan transitioned to a different level of soccer and became director of coaching for a youth team in Peachtree City and remained there for three years. He took the same position with the AFC Lightning in Peachtree City for two years before being hired as athletic director and soccer coach at Frederica Academy on St. Simon’s Island. The partnership was a successful one. Over the next seven years, he led the boys’ and girls’ teams to 13 state titles. “It was a fantastic opportunity,” Morgan said.

In 2015, Morgan came to Savannah and coached the Savannah United youth soccer team for two years. He went back to Atlanta and coached youth soccer clubs until 2020, when an opportunity came to return to coastal Georgia. “A friend in Savannah told me about the executive director position,” said Morgan, who still coaches a team and heads up the day-to-day operation of the club.

𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐥

Under Morgan’s direction, the number of club players has increased twofold in the past two to three years. He attributes the growth to professional soccer becoming popular in this country and getting top notch coaches; individuals coaching Academy and Select teams are paid and licensed through the United States Soccer Federation. Despite having some 1,000 players, RHSC retains a small town feel.

“We’re not too big to get to know the players,” Morgan said. “It’s still a small town. I interact with the kids all over town. It’s a great thing. I like being part of a child’s life.”

One of the 1,000 or so players Morgan has interacted with in town and on the field is Wyatt DuBois, 15, a freshman at Richmond Hill High School. DuBois has played for the Richmond Hill Soccer Club for seven years. He’s a member of the Select 16-17 team coached by his father, Dana.

“I enjoy playing for my dad,” said DuBois, a central midfielder. “He helps me a lot. I’ve gotten a lot better because of him. He’s a little tougher on me, but that’s what you expect.”

DuBois started out on a Recreation team, qualified for an Academy squad and was subsequently chosen to play on a Select team. He said he’s enjoyed being part of the club at all three levels.

“I like the environment and teams I’ve played on,” he said. “We worked well together. On the select team, we’ve improved so much from the start.”

DuBois just completed his first season on the junior varsity team at Richmond Hill High School. He said his experience playing on a Select team made it easier to compete in high school. DuBois and the club have thrived under Morgan’s leadership.

“A lot of the stuff he does out of his own funding,” DuBois said. “The club used to be at rock bottom. Now we’re on the rise. He’s been a huge help.”

Soccer, the teen noted, has been a big part of his life. He said he likes how the game works and how the ball is moved around. As a central midfielder, DuBois helps out on offense and defense and enjoys distributing the ball.

Remarking he’d like to play in college, DuBois understands how tough it is to compete at that level and said he’ll try his best to make it. Even if he falls short of that goal, DuBois won’t abandon the pitch. “I’ll keep playing soccer when I’m older,” he said. “It’s  really fun.”

DuBois’ father can attest to the lifetime appeal of soccer. As with Morgan, he started as a player and then moved into the coaching ranks.

DuBois competed in soccer as a youngster and continued through high school and college, playing goalie at Husson College, in Bangor, Maine. He said his ultimate goal was to coach, and he got his chance with a YMCA rec team in Ohio.

Upon moving to Richmond Hill, he found out about RHSC through a friend and enrolled Wyatt in the Recreation program. DuBois became acquainted with his son’s coach and was brought on as assistant coach for the fall season and subsequently coached a team in the spring season. That led to a coaching position in the Academy program followed by his current position as coach of the Select 16-17 boys’ team. DuBois has coached the team for five years.

“The boys are great,” said DuBois, who serves as board treasurer and also helps coach some of the girls’ teams. “They’re all my kids. The families are amazing.”

The club, DuBois noted, tries to keep things simple by making soccer fun and teaching players the right way to do things on and off the pitch.

“We teach them to be good people and learn life skills,” he said. “It’s not always just about wins. I’m seeing improvement every year.”

His Select team competed in the Georgia Soccer Fall League against squads from Tifton, Atlanta, Millidgeville and others during a 10-game schedule and finished second in a November tournament.

“We’re still learning,” DuBois said. “We played three solid games and were a little burned out by the time we got to the championship game. The boys played well.” Of the 19 players on his team, 11 are playing junior varsity and two varsity in high school, according to DuBois.

𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐬

DuBois recognizes not all the club players aspire to play in college or beyond. That’s why the club’s philosophy is to start with the basic skills at the Rec level and focus on the fun aspects of the sport and teaching life skills. “The Recreation program  (U6-U14) has grown dramatically,” DuBois said. “Every Saturday the fields are full of games.”

For those players who want to continue in the sport, the Academy and Select (U13-U19) programs build on the basic skills while offering more challenging competition. DuBois said 30 boys and girls are in the Academy program, which offers play (U6-U9) against outside teams. The Select teams, he added, go farther to compete against other travel squads.

DuBois, like his son, credited Morgan with the vibrancy and growth of the club.

“Charlie came in at a rough time, during Covid,” DuBois said. “His demeanor has helped. He has great patience. It’s never an ego thing with him. It’s all about the kids and making them better. Are they enjoying it? Charlie’s brought an acceptance to everyone. He’s brought in good coaches and comes to the meetings and training sessions. Charlie’s always helping out.”