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The Richmond Kickers announced today that Rob Ukrop, former Richmond Kickers’ striker and member of the prominent Ukrop family, has purchased the team as a part of 22 Holdings LLC. The club is being sold by the Richmond Kickers Youth Soccer Club, who will retain a minority ownership stake in the team. The deal will be finalized by the end of 2018.
The Richmond Kickers Youth Soccer Club purchased the team in 2009 and 22 Holdings will be the fourth owner in the team’s history.
22 Holdings LLC is a group of Davidson College soccer teammates led by Rob Ukrop, and it includes Ukrop, Alex Deegan, and four other members of the 1992 Davidson College Final Four team; Matt Spear, captain of that team, was also recently announced as the Richmond Kickers team president. The talks began in 2017 when the 1992 team met for their 25th anniversary of reaching the NCAA Final Four.
The Richmond Kickers Youth Soccer club will continue as a non-profit under the leadership of board president John Brooks; Rob Ukrop previously served in that role. Brooks said that “The sale of the pro team will allow the youth club to focus on all levels of youth soccer in Richmond, while still affording us the ability to work and collaborate with the Pro Team. This is a true win-win for Richmond.”