Fredericksburg, Va. (September 19, 2014) – Nearly 13 years after taking on the Technical Director/Director of Coaching post in 2002 when the entire club consisted of a total of seven travel teams, Pete Cinalli will be stepping down as the Fredericksburg Area Soccer Association’s General Manager at the end of October.
It has certainly been an amazing journey,” Cinalli said, “to help with the explosive growth and success of this outstanding organization. I consider it a privilege to be part of the FASA family and look forward to the club continuing on to being one of the largest and best in the region and beyond. There are a lot of very special people in this organization.”
In addition to the number of travel teams growing from seven to 44, Cinalli, who became FASA’s first-ever General Manager when the position was created in 2010, also started the ASDL Classic League, which grew from 18 players in the inaugural season to well over 600 players currently playing in the FASA Academy & Classic League.
Other programs started during his tenure include the Advanced Skills Soccer Camp, which has donated over $12,000 to local schools; the Girls College Soccer Camp, an event which has drawn numerous NCAA Division I head coaches to participate; the College Preparation Program, which helps players in the recruiting process; Super Y and Super 20s, where many FASA teams have participated in National Finals at the IMG Academy in Florida; TOPSoccer, a community-based training and team placement program for young athletes with disabilities; Entry into the Club Champions League (CCL) as well as WAGS, NCSL and ODSL; the hosting of the Washington Invitational Tournament (formerly the Fredericksburg Cup); the FASA 5k & 1M “Run For the Dream,” and the FASA College Scholarship and Kerry Keilty Memorial Award, which Cinalli will continue to manage for the club.
“For many years the name Pete Cinalli has been synonymous with FASA, so his decision to step down is certainly a significant event in the life of the club,” said FASA’ s Board of Directors in a joint statement. “We fully understand, and support, Pete’s decision and we are appreciative of all that he has done for the club. We are also excited that he wants to continue coaching his girls team. He has had tremendous success with them so we are glad he will be there to see them through their last year.
“We are confident that the club will continue to grow and move in an extremely positive direction. We will build on the strong foundation of success that is Pete’s legacy here.”