Miami, December 17, 2019
Miami Dutch Lions FC has made their first hire with Dutch native Ewout Gouw becoming the General Manager for the club per January 6, 2020. MDL FC interviewed Ewout on his background in soccer, his motivation why he chose to work for MDL FC and his expectations.
What is your background as a player?
I competed as a professional soccer player for the last six years, signing my first professional contract at eighteen years old, while simultaneously seeking advanced education in Amsterdam and San Diego. I represented ASC San Diego (NPSL, USA), TEC Tiel (2nd Division, the Netherlands), AFC Tubize (Proximus League, Belgium) and BV Vitesse (Eredivisie, the Netherlands). At BV Vitesse, I played in the youth academy for over 10 years before signing a professional contract at the age of eighteen. I made my debut for the premier squad at the age of nineteen in pre-season, captained the U19 squad and won the U21 National Championship. At TEC Tiel we secured promotion to the highest Dutch semi-professional league and at ASC San Diego we won the 2019 NPSL Western Region Championship, securing a place in the NPSL National Semi-Finals in New York.
What made you come to the USA?
I moved from Belgium to San Diego as it was a great opportunity for me to keep playing on a high level, while simultaneously work on my professional career outside soccer. An MBA in the United States is considered as a prestigious degree which prepares you for a management career in any sort of organization in- and outside sports.
How do you look back on your time in San Diego?
San Diego is a beautiful city in a fast-growing market. The MBA prepared me to navigate the US landscape more easily and provided me with a lot of tools to apply within a real-work environment. Now it is time to put my knowledge and network to use and work hard to build out this great new club in Miami. Without any doubt we will face setbacks and challenges while building this new club in a new region but eventually overcoming those things will only strengthen our organization for the future.
What made you choose to work for Miami Dutch Lions FC?
Miami Dutch Lions FC is the perfect opportunity for me to use my experiences as a professional soccer player combined with my MBA skillset. But most important, I will be able to work with an experienced group of people who have shown to be successful in grassroots and professional soccer. Dutch Lions FC is an established name in US soccer and being part of this team is very exciting.
What will be your role in the club?
I will be the General Manager onsite in Miami and mainly responsible for setting up the Miami Dutch Lions Training School, player management and all the marketing related events. I will be working closely with the management team and serve as a liaison between Miami and ownership in Houston and the Netherlands. Also, I will be part of the 2020 players roster which starts pre-season in May.
What are your expectations for 2020?
I can’t wait for the 2020 season to start. There is a lot of work to be done but together with our great management team we will make sure to build an awesome new club in Miami. I’m looking forward to playing in probably the strongest NPSL conference in the US. It will be interesting to see how we match up against the different playing styles and playing conditions. I can say from experience that the level is much higher than people might think. Also, playing and living in Miami is a once in a lifetime opportunity.