Women’s semi-professional soccer is coming to the area as the Hudson Valley Crusaders prepare to kick off its inaugural season on Saturday, May 8. The Crusaders, who will play their home games at Cantine Field in Saugerties, are holding tryouts for players 16-and up on the first two consecutive Saturdays in April, the 3rd and the 10th.
The Crusaders will wear red and white and play in the Northeast Conference of League 2 of the UWS (United Women’s Soccer); Hudson Valley will share the conference with New Jersey Copa, New Jersey Teamsterz FC and Steel United NJ. Other teams playing in the tri-state area include Brooklyn City FC, Albany Rush and Connecticut Fusion. The 2021 schedule was not announced before press time.
The United States women’s national team (USWNT) has had tremendous success on the international level, including winning the most recent FIFA Women’s World Cup held in France in mid-2019; that success has inspired girls across the country to play the beautiful game. General Manager Hanna Esslie grew up playing soccer in Cairo and said she hopes the Crusaders will appeal to local girls in the same way men’s semi-pro teams like Kingston Stockade FC have drawn the attention of boys.
“I think it’s encouraging for the young girls just to see that there’s a next step,” said Esslie. “There’s another level, and there’s an opportunity for them when they get older. I think it helps them to dream big, ‘Oh, I can play at this level when I grow up, not just high school.’ It’s another step, and it’s encouraging to play for your hometown too.”
The Crusaders’ head coach is Kurtis Smith, who had nearly a decade of coaching experience in England and his native Wales with Cardiff City FC Academy, Shrewsbury Town Academy, University to South Wales and Newtown FC. Smith came to the U.S. in 2017 to work as a premier coach and tournament director for Global Premier Soccer in Albany, and two years later he joined Hudson Valley Premier Soccer as director of coaching.
“I think he has a really good grasp of the game and a good mind for it,” Esslie said.
Also on the sideline for the Crusaders is assistant coach Tucker Stern, who played at New Paltz High School and SUNY New Paltz and is a current member of the U.S. National Maccabiah Futsal Team. Like Smith, Stern has coached at Hudson Valley Premier Soccer.
“This is a really exciting development in women’s soccer,” said Stern in a press release. “While opportunities for men continue to grow in the Hudson Valley, women’s soccer has remained unchanged…that is until now…I’m thrilled to be part of such a groundbreaking opportunity for women’s soccer players of the Hudson Valley.”
For more information on tryouts, visit www.hudsonvalleycrusaders.com/tryouts. While the Covid-19 pandemic may soon be ending, the Crusaders are allowing for video tryouts this season for players who can’t make it in person. In-person tryouts will take place on April 3 and 10 from 11:00 a.m. until 1 p.m.
And for local girls who aren’t yet 16, there may still be a chance to be part of the Crusaders’ inaugural season as volunteer assistants.
“If there’s some younger girls in Saugerties Junior High that play, we’re looking to have some of them get involved too,” Esslie said.
For more information on the Hudson Valley Crusaders, visit: www.hudsonvalleycrusaders.com.
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