After nine years on the sidelines of school along St. Johns, Mauricio Ruiz has no doubt that the ingredients are in position for football to thrive in Jacksonville.
“It’s a whole region and a hobby for football,” he said.
The former Jacksonville University men’s soccer coach is charting a new career, swapping the school for the professional game in the new First Coast United Soccer League franchise.
This is the latest step for JAXUSL’s owning organization, which includes Ricky Caplin, Steve Livingstone, Tony Allegretti and former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, in its efforts to expand a USL franchise at the current level of the football pyramid. In August, the USL awarded the Jacksonville organization a franchise that is expected to begin betting in 2025.
JAXUSL’s assignment also includes plans for the progression of a women’s football club into a league that has not yet played.
Ruiz coached JU for nine seasons from 2014 to 2022, adding an ASUN convention name and a spot in the NCAA Tournament in the 2020-21 season delayed by coronavirus to end the school’s 12-year drought in the NCAA. With JAXUSL, Ruiz is turning his training apparatus for a front-office role into business development, links with clubs in the domain and corporate sphere of the city.
“We’re getting interest from all corners of the network and letting them know what we’re doing,” Ruiz said.
For Ruiz, JAXUSL’s project is to close the gap.
Since the North American Football League suspended play in the fall of 2017 and left the Jacksonville Navy still active without a fully professional league, the city has been fully supplied in the upper divisions of American football.
“You look at Miami, Orlando, Tampa, and then that [professional football] takes us to Atlanta and Charlotte,” Ruiz said. “We think there’s some kind of void to fill. “
He is no stranger to the complexities of the football progression scene. Originally from Brazil, he coached UCF staff for seven years before arriving in Jacksonville, a historic tenure this fall: Goalie Sean Johnson, with whom Ruiz worked at UCF, decided on the U. S. roster. U. S. for the World Cup in Qatar.
During his career, he also qualified for the 2005 NCAA Tournament with Stetson.
Allegretti said Ruiz’s delight in the game, along with nearly a decade of training and recruiting in Jacksonville, makes him an herbal candidate.
“He’s been concerned about football that has been played across the country and around the world, reaching this older age group,” Allegretti said.
While his football career has most commonly focused on the game box to date, fitting the sidelines to a behind-the-scenes role that bears no relation to Ruiz.
“You’re part of a big component of the university’s strategy and the things it does, and how your team wants to design that goal,” he said.
Among the short-term goals, Ruiz said, he will use his experience as a Jacksonville football player to marry potential companies and sponsors. sink or swim
He is also referring to the club’s ties to youth groups in the region as part of JAXUSL’s plan to expand a comprehensive route from youth soccer to USL competition.
“We try to meet a lot of other people in Jacksonville, especially in the youth soccer community, and keep an open line of communication,” Ruiz said.
Ruiz’s hiring represents a milestone for JAXUSL. Several misleading appeals are ongoing.
“If we do this now,” Allegretti said, “we know it will pay off in the long run. “
JAXUSL has yet to set a company timeline for pronouncing the team’s name, Allegretti said he expects to announce the main points in the coming months. Resolution that has proven complicated for Jacksonville football teams for decades.
For the ownership group, the plan component includes a series of public meetings with potential enthusiasts to shape the course. The next on the show is at 6:30 p. m. 21 in Intuition Ale Works.
Even though the USL Jacksonville team is still two years away from kickoff, Ruiz can’t wait to start taking on the challenges.
“The next few months are super exciting for me to identify a few things,” he said.