REVITALIZING THE RAILHAWKS

LOCAL SOCCER STAR CURT JOHNSON BRINGS PROFESSIONAL SOCCER REVIVAL TO THE TRIANGLE



When you meet Curt Johnson, president of the Carolina RailHawks, you immediately realize his hiring must have been a no-brainer. Johnson is a Raleigh native, a rarity in an area that is growing rapidly with transplants. He grew up playing in the Capital Area Soccer League (CASL) and winning state championships with Ravenscroft School. In 1990, as captain of NC State men’s soccer, Johnson led the team to their most successful year in the program’s history by winning the ACC Tournament and advancing to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.



New life, new successes

In 2011, Traffic Sports, a management group out of Brazil, took over operations of a RailHawks franchise that was in need of new leadership. In addition to Johnson’s ties to the market, his professional credentials made him perfect for the job. Prior to taking the helm at the RailHawks, Johnson spent time in a variety of soccer-centric businesses: coaching for his alma maters (both Ravenscroft and NC State), working in soccer marketing for adidas and for US Club Soccer, as well as in professional soccer as vice president and general manager of the Richmond Kickers, and for seven years as the general manager of the Kansas City Wizards (now Sporting Kansas City) of Major League Soccer (MLS).



The RailHawks were facing an uphill battle having been sold via eBay early in 2011. Leading the club through those trying times would be a challenge. So, when the opportunity to lead the RailHawks was presented to Johnson, it was, again, a no-brainer. “I just felt like it was time for all of us who care about professional soccer in the Triangle and in North Carolina to put our money where our mouth is and come together,” Johnson says when asked what persuaded him to return to his troubled hometown club. “When you look at what’s happening around the country, and know that the Triangle is a great soccer marketplace, I felt like it was an opportunity to use my skill set to play a role in moving the sport forward at the professional level.”



Johnson is not only passionate about soccer, but is especially passionate about its growth in the Triangle. Today, just three years after Johnson took over, the sounds of fans chanting and drums beating welcome you to WakeMed Soccer Park, home of the Carolina RailHawks. In 2013, the RailHawks hosted record crowds in what Johnson calls “the best stadium in the North American Soccer League.” The facility, managed by the Town of Cary, has hosted a variety of major events including ACC Men’s & Women’s Soccer Championships, Men’s & Women’s College Cups, U.S. Women’s National Team friendly exhibitions, and training sessions for the U.S. Men’s National Team.



This season, the stadium will show off its brand new video board. This is in addition to the upgrades it received prior to the 2013 season that included additional seating, bringing the total capacity from 7,000 to 10,000, new locker rooms for home and visiting sides, as well as new luxury suites.



Johnson believes the building blocks have always existed in the Triangle for success in the professional soccer arena. The influx in young adults to the area, the already passionate youth soccer players and soccer parents, and perennial NCAA soccer powers at local universities in the Triangle all point to a populous that is passionate about soccer. Johnson’s job, as he explains it, is to bring together what could be considered a fragmented market as much as possible to create an even better soccer culture than what already exists.



When asked to what Johnson

attributes the over 200 percent increase in season ticket sales and 125 percent increase in sales overall, he explains the shift within the organization on the business side, as well as with the product on the field. From a business standpoint, Johnson wanted to establish a sales culture in the RailHawks front office in which everyone is incentivized to sell and they get rewarded when they do bring in revenue or new partnerships.



One such partnership is the Capital Area RailHawks in which the RailHawks partner with Capital Area Soccer League (CASL) to sponsor U.S. Soccer Federation Development Academy level teams for boys, and Elite Clubs National League level teams for girls. These are the most competitive leagues offered to youth players in the country, and the Capital Area RailHawks are the only youth program of this level in the Triangle. The goal of the partnership is to pool resources to be able to bring together the best youth players in the region regardless of previous club affiliation.



On the field, Johnson brought a new perspective as well, explaining “we want to have players with local ties on the field, making an impact as much as possible.” The results of this philosophy have paid off. In 2013, the RailHawks won the Woosnam Cup, presented to the team with the most points throughout the North American Soccer League (NASL) regular season.



Throughout that season, the RailHawks’ roster boasted 13 different players with local ties, including former CASL players Zack Schilawski and Brian Ackley, and University of North Carolina (UNC) standout Enzo Martinez. As the 2013 regular season wrapped up, the RailHawks signed Conor Donovan, a high school student from Fuquay-Varina, to an amateur contract. This made him the first homegrown player to be signed through the Capital Area RailHawks partnership.



In addition to the Woosnam Cup title, the RailHawks have turned WakeMed Soccer Park into a fortress with a 16-game unbeaten home streak under the leadership of head coach Colin Clarke, whom Johnson hired when the previous head coach, Martin Rennie, was offered a job with the MLS. The RailHawks play entertaining, free-flowing soccer under Clarke—averaging more than two goals per game at WakeMed Soccer Park.



This attacking, fearless style of play propelled the RailHawks to victory over the then-reigning back-to-back MLS Champion Los Angeles Galaxy in the U.S. Open Cup in front of a home crowd of more than 8,000 for the second year in a row. The RailHawks followed up that performance by defeating MLS club Chivas USA in the next round, and earning a berth in the quarterfinals where they lost to eventual U.S. Open Cup and MLS Cup runners up Real Salt Lake.



What’s in store this year

As the 2014 season nears, Johnson looks to build on the momentum he has created around the RailHawks. When considering the future of soccer in this market, he believes “the sky is the limit. We could wake up in four years and be going on 20 straight sellouts. The opportunity is there for us to do a lot of different things.”



So, how does Johnson believe we can achieve these things? “It’s about everyone who is passionate about the game contributing to its growth and pooling the resources that exist in this market already. Together, we can find ways to create the best possible soccer culture that meets the needs of every fan in the Triangle, from the youngest child kicking their first ball to players aspiring to play in college or professionally to spectators and adult players.”



Some may consider Curt Johnson an optimist when it comes to his views on soccer in this market and in this country generally, but he’s been around the game long enough to know that there’s been a significant shift towards soccer in recent years.



“Growing up playing in CASL, playing at Ravenscroft, and having the opportunity to experience other things around the country and working in professional soccer—I kind of represent the people who have come up through all the clubs in North Carolina and played in the college programs. All those kids who grew up playing in the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s can see there has been a shift. There are a growing number of people who are interested in the game at all levels. That’s why it’s exploding from the spectator standpoint, and the message of people coming together to create that soccer culture has really taken hold here in the Triangle.”



This year has a lot more in store for Johnson and the RailHawks. They plan to host more big events, including an exhibition against Mexican First Division club Puebla FC in March, prior to kicking off the 2014 NASL Season with their first home game on Saturday, April 19th. With their 16 home game unbeaten streak still intact, they plan to do everything in their power to keep it going. According to Johnson, “It simply comes down to finding that balance between consistently competing for trophies while continuing to roster players with local ties, and making sure we entertain fans in the best stadium in the NASL.”