The Richmond Kickers Destiny alumna will lead W League RVA from the touchline in its inaugural season.
RICHMOND, Va. – (Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023) – W League RVA is pleased to announce that Kimmy Cummings will serve as the first head coach of Richmond’s premier pre-professional women’s team, pending league and federation approval. Born and raised in the Richmond area, Cummings played for Richmond clubs throughout her life, including on the original Richmond W League team, Richmond Kickers Destiny, and now serves as head coach for two Richmond United teams.
“We held several thorough discussions with Kimmy and are convinced that she is the right person to lead W League RVA in its inaugural season,” Sporting Director Madeline McCracken said of Cummings, “Kimmy knows how to develop and help young players reach their full potential. She understands our team’s philosophies, the environment we are looking to build and the areas we would like to develop in order to offer a successful product both on and off the field for our fans and the entire Richmond region!”
Upon her hire, Cummings shared her thoughts with the club. “I am honored to have been asked to play such a pivotal role in helping shape the W League RVA team in its inaugural season!” she said. “I’m incredibly thankful for the opportunity and belief Rob Ukrop, Madeline McCracken, Mika Elovaara, and Jay Howell have in me to build an incredible soccer environment while also creating synergy between W League RVA and Richmond United. None of this would be possible without the leadership and guidance from my mentors, colleagues, former coaches, teammates, and family – I absolutely am who I am because of them. Having grown up playing in the Richmond soccer community, it’s an honor to lead the creation of an environment young girls aspire to be a part of. I cannot wait to hit the ground running!”
A graduate of East Carolina University (ECU), Cummings played soccer for the Pirates through all four years as an attacking player and served her team as captain in her senior year. In her full-time position off the touchline, Cummings serves as Director of Software Engineering for Capital One. Before college, Cummings played for Richmond Kickers Youth Soccer. Through her collegiate summers and even after, Cummings played for the Richmond Kickers Destiny, Fredericksburg Area Soccer Association — now known as Fredericksburg FC — and for the Richmond Strikers.
Cummings returned home to Richmond to start her coaching career with the Richmond Kickers Youth before moving to the Richmond Strikers in 2016. Cummings led her teams to several tournament championships including in the fall of 2019 when her team scored 39 goals in four games and allowed none.
At the same time, Cummings served as an assistant coach for the women’s soccer team at Randolph-Macon College, working with the Yellow Jackets from 2018 to 2020. She helped lead the 2019 Randolph-Macon team to an undefeated season. The Yellow Jackets hosted and won the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Championship and went on to the NCAA tournament. There, they blanked Haverford College 2-0 in the first round before falling at top-seed and eventual national champion Messiah University.
Overlapping with her work at Randolph-Macon, Cummings continued her coaching career with youth soccer in Richmond. In 2019, Cummings started with Richmond United, working as an assistant coach with the 2001/2002 and 2004 age groups. In doing so she worked alongside Richmond Kickers’ Head Assistant Coach, Director of Methodology and Player Development, and Richmond United Technical Director, Mika Elovaara. He believes the decision to place Cummings at the helm of the W League coaching staff will be one that allows the W League team to hit the ground running “and immediately become a place where players want to play” behind her “ability to connect with people and build a culture, combined with her ambition and variety of effective coaching tools.”
“I want to congratulate Madeline and Rob for making a fantastic hire,” Elovaara said. “I have worked with Kimmy for years and have personally witnessed her excellence and continued growth. We are one of the oldest professional clubs in the country and I love that we keep rooting our future with our history. As a Richmonder and a Richmond soccer alumna, Kimmy is perfect for the role of W League RVA Head Coach. She will ensure that the young W League RVA team will hit the ground running and immediately become a place where players want to play.”
In 2020, Cummings moved into a head coaching position at Richmond United with the 2007 age group, taking the team into the Elite Club Nations League (ECNL) Champions League Playoffs in 2022, a feat she repeated with her 2008 age group in 2023. Cummings now coaches the U15 and U16 age groups with the club. Richmond Strikers & Richmond United Executive Director Jay Howell, expressed excitement for Cummings, who he has come to know well throughout her career.
“Kimmy’s soccer journey of success continues!” Howell said, “Kimmy is a winner and a true player’s coach. I believe she will foster a high level of performance through a focus on individual development and by creating a strong, positive team culture. And what a fantastic soccer community story — from the Richmond grassroots, a former standout player develops into a top youth coach and is now named the Head Coach of W League RVA.”
Cummings has capitalized on every opportunity she has found in Richmond and has consistently done the same throughout her career. She noticeably defined her playing career by capitalizing on opportunities.
As a freshman, she started as a recruited walk-on at ECU and earned her place as an instrumental member of the team. Cummings ultimately played in 21 of 22 contests her freshman year, saw meaningful action in all 19 games of her sophomore year and started all 19 games her junior year, while scoring three goals and adding four assists.
Senior year, not only did she serve as a captain but she led the team with nine goals and 22 points — more than doubling her contributions from the year prior — and was the first ever ECU Pirate to garner United Soccer Coaches’ First-Team All-Central Regional honors. Cummings ranks among the top-15 in each of her career stats in ECU history and intends to bring that same leadership and guiding energy to W League RVA.
With her playing skills and her repeatedly-proven coaching ability, Richmond Kickers’ Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Rob Ukrop, believes Cummings will be a perfect fit as a leader and a role model for the women on the W League RVA roster and for girls across the Richmond region.
“We are so honored to have Kimmy lead our new W League team in 2024,” Ukrop said, “A wonderful role model who builds meaningful relationships with the young women she coaches, Kimmy will excel in this new opportunity developing the best young athletes from the Richmond community on the W League RVA roster. We admire her deep community connections and look forward to cheering her on at City Stadium as she leads our team in their return to the W League.”
Stay tuned to the W League Richmond social channels on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Twitter for more updates ahead of kickoff in 2024 including technical staff, branding, jerseys, and more!
About W League RVA
Announced on July 15, 2023, W League RVA is one of the latest USL W League expansion sides preparing to kickoff its inaugural season in 2024. 22 Holdings, LLC, the ownership group that runs the Richmond Kickers, founded the W League side to create a new level of competition for women’s soccer in the region. The team will have its own unique identity and branding that will launch in 2024.
The W League RVA team competing in 2024 marks the first time Richmond has fielded a pre-professional women’s team since the Richmond Kickers Destiny that operated from 2005 to 2009. As players did while playing for Destiny, W League RVA players will have a platform to develop their talents as players and serve as role models to lead the growth of women’s soccer in our wider community.
About The USL W League
The USL W League is a leader in pre-professional soccer in North America, developing the next generation of women’s talent both on and off the field. The USL W League strives to use women’s soccer as a force for societal good by creating a national platform to increase opportunity, gender equity, and career development. The League and its member clubs are committed to investing in women’s soccer – through not only financial resources but also with time, energy, and attention – and are united in our mission to grow the women’s game.
The USL W League will serve as the nation’s premier pre-professional league developing the next generation of women’s talent both on and off the field, enhancing the women’s soccer pipeline between college and professional soccer. With 44 teams across 20 states in its inaugural season, the USL W League will bring elite women’s soccer to communities across the U.S., creating more opportunities to play, watch and work in the women’s game.
