by Jake Nutting

As first reported by Midfield Press, the Unused Substitutes have confirmed the news that Tampa Bay Rowdies Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Community Relations Perry Van Der Beck has resigned from his post.

The Rowdies say they were surprised to hear of Van Der Beck’s decision, but they are respectful of his wishes.

Rowdies Principal Owner Bill Edwards released the following statement on the departure of the Van Der Beck.

Perry Van Der Beck, the Tampa Bay Rowdies’ Assistant GM and Vice President of Community Relations, has decided to leave the Rowdies to pursue other opportunities. On behalf of the Rowdies organization and all its fans, we thank Perry for all he has done for the club over his many years of loyal service and we all wish Perry nothing but the best in his future endeavors. Perry has assured the Rowdies that fans will still see him at games cheering on his club to many more winning seasons.

Van Der Beck was drafted straight out of high school by the Rowdies in 1978 and went on to make nearly 200 appearances for the club in all the various iterations and leagues it went through until finally ceasing operations in 1993.

Apart from being an original member of the Rowdies, Van Der Beck has also been one of the few constants every year in the front office for modern era of the team. He was first appointed technical director of the club in 2008 when it known as FC Tampa Bay, but his title became executive vice president and director of player development by 2010 when they began competing on the field.

Van Der Beck eventually took the interim coaching position when head coach Paul Dalglish left the club in the final weeks of that inaugural season. In 2014 he assumed the technical director role and general manager positions until the hiring of Farrukh Quraishi ahead of the 2015 season. He was moved to the assistant general manager role after that and he held that position along with the important role of vice president of community relations until today.

Van Der Beck’s consistent run with the Rowdies over the years is almost unheard of in any sport. It has been a remarkably long time since the Rowdies took the field without Van Der Beck playing at least some part in the organization.

His contributions to the legacy and good standing of the Rowdies name in Tampa Bay and in the soccer community abroad cannot be understated.

The Unused Substitutes have reached out to Perry Van Der Beck for a comment on his resignation.