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Ownership Statement

By Art Auchenbach & Troy Snyder, 12/03/20, 8:59AM EST

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To Staff, Players, and Fans

Good afternoon RUAC Staff, Players, and Partners,

We hope this message finds you all doing well considering the craziness that has been the year of 2020.  We trust you all had a nice Thanksgiving and what will hopefully be a restful and healthy Christmas season.

While we were hoping that 2020 would have been the year for our storied club to add a star to our crest, it was not meant to be.  Due to COVID-19 and its ancillary effects we need to develop a new focus and “restart” for Reading United.  Earlier this week we were notified by Head Coach Alan McCann of the resignation of him and assistant coach Shane Keely.  We have been honored as a club, and as owners, to have the tandem of Alan and Shane be such an instrumental part of our recent successes, most notably our back to back USL League Two Championship appearances.  We wish Alan and Shane the very best in their next steps to what will undoubtedly be very successful professional coaching careers.  Since our start as ownership in 2008 we have been extremely fortunate to have such successful coaches in Brendan Burke, David Castellanos, Stephen Hogan, and now Alan McCann.  Alan departs the club as arguably our most successful coach in program history.

As is the nature of sport and business, there is always change, organizations must grow, and leaders must seek the next challenge, whether these changes are forced (thank you COVID-19) or necessitated to achieve new goals, new dreams, and new challenges.

Our search for our next coaching success begins immediately.  Through the capable leadership of Colin Kent, Ryan Lineaweaver, Jeff Blankenbiller, and all of you, we are confident that we will succeed in this search.  Additionally, as we start plans for our 26th season in 2021, we will also be looking to chart a new direction and focus for Reading United.

We all know sport can influence communities.  Ask any MLS, Super Bowl, Stanley Cup, NBA, World Series championship winning city and you know that a team, and a sport, can lift the hopes and spirits of a community, city, or region.  It is the intent of Reading United ownership to refocus our efforts on truly being more of a community club by enhancing opportunities and pathways for the top local players from the greater Reading area.  We intend to forge real partnerships with local premier soccer youth clubs, local colleges and universities, and leveraging our plethora of professional soccer contacts to show USL and MLS teams that our area can produce the next crop of professional soccer players.  This will be accomplished by:

  1. Developing a USL League Two roster consisting of a majority of players from eastern PA and the greater Reading area.

  2. Utilizing local staff, volunteers, sponsors, and players to raise our profile in OUR local community.

  3. Utilizing this same group of staff, volunteers, and players to be involved with OUR community outreach efforts.

Local players, local staff charting a new course for Reading, PA.  Leading this change starts with us as ownership.  This change involves all of you.  This change starts now.  The new era of Reading United AC starts today!

Please direct any questions/comments/concerns to Troy or Art.  Thank you for your continued service and support of Reading United!


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Troy Snyder – President

Art Auchenbach – Vice President

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