The 2019 Greenville FC season is finally upon us! Opening Night is now just a few days at their home at Sirrine Stadium (right in Downtown Greenville!) on Saturday, May 11th at 7pm (you can grab your tickets here.) And to better prepare yourself for the upcoming season, you’ll want to check out our exclusive interview with the team’s President, Marco Carrizales.
360: First off, congrats on your new home at Sirrine Stadium! How did that all come together?
Marco: Sirrine Stadium came about after many internal conversations as well as many conversations with Greenville High and the school district. We always knew Furman was going to be a short term option for us, so from the beginning we needed an alternative. Sirrine Stadium is the most ideal location in Greenville for soccer. Proximity to downtown, accessibility to the many trails and restaurant/bars is going to be huge for us. It was really a no brainer.
360: What other big changes should we expect for the upcoming 2019 season?
Marco: The upcoming season presents us with new opportunities. We have more space to enhance the overall gameday atmosphere. More vendors, food trucks and hopefully increased attendance due to the accessibility of Sirrine Stadium. So overall, things will be bigger and better.
360: What are you looking forward to most this season?
Marco: I’m really looking forward to providing the same quality of product but with a fresh flavor. The move to Sirrine Stadium is almost like a relaunch for us as a club. We aren’t doing the same things in 2019, so really the book is reopened for us. The game day experience and season are almost like a new toy for us, even though we’ve already done it. The new venue really excites us and we’ve only seen that excitement reciprocated throughout the community.
360: Tell us a little about your in season day-to-day.
Marco: I would tell you if I knew! A lot of my day-to-day during the season is a little unknown. The majority of my job happens in the offseason. Making sure venues are reserved, people will be where they need to be when they be, etc. My job during season should be a lot easier than it is during the offseason, and if it isn’t then I didn’t do enough to plan for the 2019 Season. I still have to put out the occasional fire here and there, but I really enjoy being a fan of the club and celebrating the fact that thousands of people gather around to celebrate Greenville FC as a representation of their community.
360: What do you enjoy most about your roles with the club?
Marco: I think what I enjoy most about my role is the opportunity to meet new people in the community that just love the game of soccer. Being a catalyst for the sports growth in Greenville also really excites me. It’s there for the taking and we’re doing what we can to put our unique spin on it.
360: When you’re not managing the club, what do you love to do?
Marco: I love to cook. I’d say I have more dreams about being a chef than a sports executive! I’m looking forward to having the team back around so we can have some cookouts and bond over some really good food.
360: Thanks, Marco. We can’t wait. We’ll see you at Sirrine!
For more info on the upcoming 2019 Greenville FC season and tickets click here. You can also follow along with all the season’s actions via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.