By Austin Shick

After over a decade of dedicated work for the NIRSA Championship Series National Soccer Tournament, Doug Ewing—Director at Fort Lewis College—is stepping down as a Co-Director of Competition. NIRSA would like to thank Doug for his commitment to both the Association and the Championship Series; he has truly been instrumental in the tournament’s growth over the years. Doug started out as a regional coordinator in 1998 and became the Director of Competition in 2005. The 2016 tournament will be his last as the Co-Director of Competition as he helps transition the new appointee into that roll.

Service with a real impact

During his tenure as Co- Director of Competition, Doug drastically enhanced the quality of the tournament and instilled his vision of a highly-competitive field of play. His expertise within the soccer community—including his knowledge of national team rankings, scheduling, and functional event planning—have been essential to the tournament’s success.

His ability to always handle protest with professionalism has also been crucial. Doug says, “My understanding of the game as a coach and player helped me communicate with heated competitors and coaches by showing understanding of their situation.” This quality has helped keep the tournament a clean yet competitive environment for many years now.

Doug helped see the NIRSA Championship Series National Soccer Tournament grew from 64 teams in 2005 to 80 in 2008 and four years later up to the current 96 teams. Not only did he oversee the sizable increase in the tournament, he helped change its feel and logistics by introducing more structured staff. In 2006, he rewrote the NIRSA Soccer rules to address issues like uniforms and coaching boxes alongside other pieces that added to the tournament’s professionalism.

Not only has NIRSA soccer benefited from Doug’s involvement, but Doug’s career has also been elevated thanks to his experience as a co-director—he believes the position has given him the necessary interpersonal and management skills to be the professional he is today. Looking back, Doug says, “with little doubt, my time with NIRSA soccer has been a huge part of my career path. It has helped me connect professionally with members while making lifetime friends within the NIRSA soccer community.

Again, NIRSA would like to sincerely thank Doug for his years of selfless service to the NIRSA Championship Services. We wish him all the best in the future!

Apply to be the Assistant Director of Competition!

Applications are now being accepted for the position of Assistant Director of Competition for NIRSA Championship Series soccer. The assistant director will serve alongside the co-directors in 2016 before transitioning into the position of Co-Director of Competition in 2017.

Their responsibilities will include:

  • Working with the six regional coordinators for ranking, regional tournaments and national tournament bids
  • Assisting with tournament scheduling
  • Assisting with team seeding for the national championship
  • Attending the national tournament from November 17-19
  • Working alongside the Co-Directors of Competition
  • Providing post-event and regional evaluations

The application deadline is February 26. Don’t miss out on this wonderful professional development opportunity—submit your application today!

 

For more information about serving as the Assistant Director of Competition for the NIRSA Championship Series National Soccer Tournament, please contact NIRSA Director of National Sport Programs, Valerie McCutchan.