Yeisley joins Head Coach Kimmy Cummings and Sporting Director Madeline McCracken to lead the Ivy into the 2024 season.
RICHMOND, Va. – (Wednesday, Mar. 27, 2024) – Richmond Ivy Soccer Club is pleased to announce Carter Yeisley – neé Blair – will serve as the assistant coach of Richmond’s premier pre-professional women’s team, pending league and federation approval. The River City native has played and coached across the Richmond region, bringing a wealth of experience to the Richmond Ivy touchline.
“I’ve known Carter for many years, as both a player and a coach,” Sporting Director Madeline McCracken said. “She brings a wealth of expertise to our program on both sides of the ball. She is fantastic at building meaningful connections with players and staff not only on a professional level but also on a personal level. Carter’s years of experience as a player and coach in the Richmond community will automatically translate to the type of culture we are looking to establish within our club. We can’t wait to see the positive impact she has on these young women and we are thrilled to welcome Carter to the Richmond Ivy family.”
Having grown up in Richmond, Yeisley said she is excited to be back in the same space as McCracken and Ivy Head Coach Kimmy Cummings as they bring to life a new resource for women’s soccer in Richmond.
“I have known Kimmy and Madeline for years and I am honored to reunite with them for the inaugural year of the Richmond Ivy,” Yeisley said. “As a former player, I love the opportunity the Ivy will bring to the women in the Richmond community and I am so grateful to get to be a part of it. As a mom, I love that my kids, who already root for the Kickers, will get to support a women’s team as well. How fortunate that my son and daughters have such great role models for which to aspire. Thanks to Kimmy, Madeline, and Rob for their trust in me and my family for their support in my return to the field. I can’t wait to get started.”
Yeisley has coached for over 17 years. She began coaching with the Richmond Kickers Youth Club in 2006. Since then, she has continued to work with the Kickers on both the youth and the professional side. Coaching through 2019 on the youth side, Yeisley also coached at Richmond United with Kickers Chairman and CEO Rob Ukrop and served as a player/coach for the Richmond United U23 team from 2014 to 2015 where she won the U23 ECNL National title.
“We are excited to have Carter Yeisley as part of our first Richmond Ivy staff,” Ukrop said. “Growing up in a soccer family, Carter was an impactful player at Collegiate and the University of Richmond and has a sharp soccer mind. Carter’s ability as a coach to build meaningful relationships with the players she works with will add incredible value to the Ivy this summer.”
About halfway through her tenure coaching for the Kickers Youth Club, Yeisley broadened her responsibilities in 2013, taking on the role of Director of RVAccess, the non-profit organization that offers children with special needs the opportunity to play soccer. Open to boys and girls ages 4-19, sessions are held at City Stadium and The Collegiate School in Richmond’s West End. Through the generous support of private donors, RVAccess is a cost-free program, offering a fun, challenging, and exciting way for athletes of all abilities to play the game they love.
Before taking on her full-time role with RVAccess in 2013, Yeisley coached outside of the Richmond Kickers as well. Just after graduating from the University of Richmond, Yeisley returned to her alma mater to coach the Spiders’ men’s soccer team in 2011 under Clint Peay, current New England Revolution assistant coach. In the summer of 2012, she pivoted to work with the Spiders’ women’s side. When she joined then-Spiders Head Coach Peter Albright, he applauded her balance of youth and experience she brought to the team.
While plenty of Yeisley’s experience comes from her coaching, she also knows the game well as a player. Yeisley’s playing career extended from Collegiate High School through the University of Richmond and up to the first iteration of the USL W League. Yeisley played on the Kickers Destiny team with Cummings. The pair also played together in Fredericksburg on the FASA (Fredericksburg Area Soccer Association) Impact — now known as Fredericksburg FC.
“I’m incredibly excited to have Carter join the coaching staff!” Cummings said. “Carter embodies expertise in the game with the ability to read and solve problems quickly. Coupled with her deep ties to the Richmond community, her skill set and experience blend with what we are looking to build for Richmond Ivy this season. Having previous experience both playing and coaching with Carter, I know she’s a true competitor and will absolutely help bring excitement to City Stadium. I’m confident she’s an excellent addition to the staff and I know she will hit the ground running!”
As a Spider, Yeisley played in 74 games across four seasons, seeing the pitch primarily in the midfield and on the backline. She scored two goals, both of them game-winners and recorded four points in total across 17 shots in her collegiate career.
During her stint with the Spiders, Yeisley served as the Varsity Soccer Coach at Clover Hill High School for three years.
Since taking on her RVAccess role, Yeisley has also served as Varsity Soccer Assistant Coach at Collegiate, starting in 2014 where she won two VISAA State titles. The second of her alma maters to call her back, Yeisley stayed at Collegiate until 2020 in this coaching position and as the Varsity Indoor Track Coach.
Yeisley returns to the touchline, this time in City Stadium, with the support of her husband and former Kickers’ player Jason Yeisley, and her three kids, Beau, Ellie and Sydney.
