Ocean City Nor'easters News Release -- www.oceancityfc.com
Friday, September 30, 2011
OCEAN CITY, N.J. -- The Ocean City Nor’easters are pleased to announce that Tim Oswald will become head coach of their USL Premier Development League team for the 2012 season. A backroom staff reshuffle see’s former head coach Neil Holloway concentrate on his role as General Manager in an effort to further grow and expand the organization, the Nor’easters and Oswald are excited about this new era.
“I am honored to have been selected as the next coach for the Ocean City Nor’easters PDL team. It was a can’t miss opportunity for both myself and my family," said an excited Oswald. “I have known both Giancarlo and Neil for quite some time and I recognize that their passion and inspiration for the franchise needs to be felt by both the staff and the players that we select for the 2012 season.
“My aim is to bring an attractive, stylish, and competitive brand of soccer to an extremely deep and talented PDL division and I have no doubt that the organization, with it’s incredible amount of success in the past, will continue to thrive and prove once again that they belong amongst the PDL elite."
Oswald is currently head coach of Rutgers University Camden (RUC) men’s soccer team, and it is his college experience and success that helped him land the job. During six season with the Scarlet Raptors Oswald he has become the programs all time leader in coaching victories and has guided the team to its current No.16 national ranking.
“Having been involved at the collegiate level for the past six years I have been fortunate to network with many players, coaches and programs,” said Oswald. “My goal is to connect with my peers and use these relationships to help me bring top college players to Ocean City."
Oswald is very familiar with the United Soccer Leagues having successfully coached youth teams in the Super Y-League making it to the Super Y-League North American Finals.
“I am very happy to have Coach Oswald guide our team for the 2012 season and beyond,” said club President Giancarlo Granese. “He brings a wealth of experience from the college and youth ranks, and his tactical acumen is second to none. He is young, energetic, a great communicator and very passionate about his work. Above all he is a winner."
Granese is positive that the appointment of Oswald as coach will allow Holloway to ensure the franchise continues to be successful both on and off the field.
“With Tim as the head coach and Neil in his role as General Manager, I feel we have created a partnership that is second to none in the PDL,” Granese said. “I believe the franchise will continue to grow from strength to strength and ultimately I hope they will bring a national championship to Ocean City.”
Since the organization went through an overhaul of rebranding and renaming in 2010 to become the Nor’easters, Holloway has split duties as both head coach and General Manager.
“The organization has seen tremendous amount of change over the past 18 months," Holloway said. "It is amazing to see the growth and positive impact the Nor’easters are having throughout the southern New Jersey community. I always enjoy working with the PDL team and the thrill of the game day, but it is a full time job!”
Holloway see’s the appointment of Oswald as a positive and important move for the organization as a whole.
“The PDL team will be in safe hands with Tim at the helm. We are looking for Tim the recruit the best local college talent and ultimately win a championship and develop some professional caliber players,” Holloway said. “I am excited to continue the great strides we have made off the field especially at the youth level. We are actively involved in many communities through our coaching network and it is important we continue to develop relationship with local community soccer clubs.
“The launch of the Nor’easter Academy will see Super Y-League and summer select youth teams participate in two locations; Ocean City and Glassboro, so there is a lot of work to be done”.
Oswald will be determined to improve upon the Nor’easters frustrating 2011 season that included 8 ties, and he knows the hard work behind the scenes starts straight away
“You can’t just blink and be there. You need to be clicking on all cylinders all the time and bring a level of enthusiasm everyday to the position,” said Oswald. “We have already been out to several college games to identify and recruit talented players that we want to bring in to build the best possible team.”
In 2012 the Ocean City Nor’easters will be entering their 16th season as a United Soccer Leagues franchise, their 10th season in the Premier Development League and their third season as the Nor’easters, with Oswald becoming only the sixth head coach in the franchise history.