SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Sacramento Republic FC announced on Saturday it had accepted the resignation of Director of Football Graham Smith from his role with the club.

“I feel very privileged to have spent the past five years working with a tremendous group of individuals who forged Republic FC into a wonderful football club that is now MLS-ready,” said Graham Smith. “I am grateful to Warren Smith and those early pioneers who worked assiduously to build this organization from the outset. And now under the astute stewardship of Kevin Nagle, I sincerely believe that the fans of Sacramento have their best days in football ahead of them. Thank you to the club, its fans and this community for all the memories.”

Smith served in integral roles for the club since its founding. During his tenure, Republic FC saw the hiring of its first coach in Preki Radosavljević, signed its first player in Rodrigo Lopez, secured dual Major League Soccer affiliations in 2014 with Portland Timbers and San Jose Earthquakes, and oversaw a club that has made the playoffs in all four seasons of its existence, including winning the 2014 USL Cup.

“We are grateful to Graham and his many contributions to the club, especially for all his efforts in the early days of our organization,” Republic FC said in a statement. “Republic FC experienced many firsts, from the signing of our first player to winning our first championship, under Graham’s direction and leadership, as well as many other successes. He has forever left his imprint on this organization and will always be a part of our SRFC family. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”