Amanda Vandervort joins the Red Stars from San Francisco-based Coach-Smart.com where she served as Business Development Director. She also brings tremendous soccer background as the Head Women’s Soccer Coach at New York University from 2003 to 2007.
“Amanda is a rising talent who has great experience in both soccer and online marketing. She will extend our reach and further enhance our ability to be the community’s team,” McDermott said.
At Coach-Smart, Vandervort was the first employee of the innovative online start-up company with three main intentions: to publish coaches as authors, to aid in effective team organization through online tools and to develop a social networking platform for the sports community. Her responsibilities included collecting content, designing the website structure, investigating current market trends and promoting the product within the sports community. Additional tasks included interviewing and hiring employees, developing print media and creating marketing strategies.
At NYU, Vandervort was responsible for planning, organizing, conducting and evaluating all aspects of the Division III women’s soccer program including recruiting, scheduling, traveling, fund raising, practice/game planning and coaching. She analyzed matches, prepared for opponents, purchased and monitored equipment, organized team travel and managed assistant coaches.
Vandervort’s efforts went beyond the soccer field at NYU as she also started an after-school program on the Lower East Side for disadvantaged youth, actively encouraged players to participate in community service and she was awarded President’s Service Award for a Hurricane Katrina equipment drive.
The University of Wyoming graduate and former women’s soccer team captain has significant soccer experience including her current roles serving on the NSCAA Educational Initiatives/Technology Sub-Committee and as the Chair of the Women’s Committee. She holds a USSF National “B” License and NSCAA Advanced National Diploma, awarded with distinction. Vandervort also served as Region 1 Senior Staff Coach with the U19 program and was the Technology Program Director.
"Peter and Marcia have built a comprehensive vision to position Chicago Red Stars as an industry leader in Women's Professional Soccer, and I'm excited for this opportunity to work with such a talented and driven group of people,” Vandervort said. “In my role, I'd like to positively touch as many soccer lives as possible through both the online experience at chicagoredstars.com and the Red Stars soccer camps. Chicago is an amazing city with a rich soccer culture that I'm proud to be part of,” Vandervort said.
Nickname: Vandey or Vort
Favorite band/singer I've never seen in concert: U2
Other jobs I've had: Real estate agent, snowboarding instructor, women's small business advisor
Pets: I'm learning that spiders are an unfortunate by-product of a Chicago hi-rise
Number of states I have visited: Most of them via soccer - playing, coaching and recruiting
Number of countries I have visited: 15 (Most of my travel beyond the US has been Mexico, England and the Netherlands)
Cities I want to visit: Prague, Hong Kong, Sydney, Moscow, Nepal, Athens, Rome, Venice and Santa Cruz (Costa Rica)
Favorite non-soccer team: Seattle Mariners
Hometown/What I miss most about my hometown: Hiking Sabino Canyon in Tucson, Arizona
If I could live in another decade, which one would it be andy why: 1999-2003 - the birth, life and suspension of the original WUSA (can we rewrite history?)
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