First-Class Medical, Performance, Scouting, Data and Analytics, and Football Operations Directors Continue Exciting Momentum for Bay FC’s Inaugural Season
San Francisco (Dec. 12, 2023) – Bay FC, the Bay Area’s new women’s professional soccer franchise in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), has made significant hires to build out its operations team, bringing on Technical Director Matt Potter, Medical Director Stacey Hardin, Performance Director Max Lankheit, Scouting Director Austin Buchanan, Football Operations Director Andrew Loomis, and Data and Analytics Director Arielle Dror.
“Our team is only as strong as our people, and we are committed to bringing the best talent on board to Bay FC, so our athletes have every opportunity and resource needed to be their best on and off the field,” said Lucy Rushton, General Manager of Bay FC. “Stacey, Max, Austin, Arielle, and Andrew and Matt are experienced leaders in their respective fields and essential to the success of the world-class club we are building.”
Potter will work closely with Rushton and Montoya to provide expert support across all areas of soccer operations with a strong focus on scouting and player development. He will help establish practices and processes inside the department, while also working on broader club projects and initiatives. He joins Bay FC after serving as the head coach of the Kansas City Current (2022-23). During his tenure, Potter guided the Current to the NWSL Championship game in 2022. Prior to his time with Kansas City, Potter was an assistant coach with the U.S. Women’s National Team and the head coach for the U.S. U-23 Women’s National Team. He served as a scout for the USWNT during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, while also gaining experience as a scout for the U.S. coaches at tournaments in Asia and Europe on the senior and youth levels. Before working with U.S. Soccer, Potter was a head coach at Washington State (2003-11) and the University of Oklahoma (2011-19). A native of Mere, England, Potter holds a USSF Pro license, USSF Talent Scout license and United Soccer Coaches Premier License.
Hardin brings over a decade of elite sports experience to Bay FC, most recently with Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Minnesota United FC, serving as the league’s first female senior director of player health and performance. During her time with the Loons, she held various roles, including head athletic trainer, senior director of player health and performance and player health and performance consultant for the team. Hardin will be tasked with ensuring Bay FC players receive top-notch care on and off the field.
Lankheit brings substantial experience from his time in MLS to the club and will serve as the director of performance. He most recently served as the head of performance and innovation for the Philadelphia Union. Prior to that, he was the director of high performance with the San Jose Earthquakes and spent two years as the head of developmental performance for Seattle Sounders FC. Before his arrival in the U.S., Lankheit, worked as a strength and conditioning coach for German 2. Bundesliga side 1. FC Nürnberg.
Buchanan will lead scouting for international, domestic, and U-18 players for Bay FC, utilizing data and analytics, video, and in-person analysis to create a holistic scouting process. He is also responsible for roster and salary cap management and strategy. Buchanan was previously the director of strategy and compliance with Racing Louisville FC (NWSL) and Louisville City FC (USL) where he served as the player recruitment lead for both clubs. Prior to that, Buchanan also worked with Racing Louisville FC as the team’s director of analytics.
Dror comes to Bay FC as the team’s director of data and analytics where she will lead the development and application of in-depth statistical analysis procedures across the club. Her work will include supporting player scouting recruitment and in-club (team and individual player) analysis. She previously worked as a data scientist and machine learning engineer at Zelus Analytics, providing a world-leading sports intelligence platform for professional teams.
Loomis will serve as the director of football operations for Bay FC, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the club in lockstep with Rushton and the Bay FC coaching staff. He will be responsible for player care and will lead team and player logistics. Loomis has an extensive sports background, serving in similar roles in the NBA with the New Orleans Hornets, Golden State Warriors, and most recently the Detroit Pistons as the executive director of basketball operations and chief of staff.
Bay FC is entering its first season in the NWSL and will have the first pick in the 2024 NWSL Expansion Draft set to take place virtually on Friday, December 15. The 2024 NWSL Expansion Draft will air live on CBS Sports Network with coverage beginning at 7 p.m. ET. The “Attacking Third” women’s soccer show will also provide additional coverage and analysis during the week of the expansion draft on CBS Sports Golazo Network and across @AttackingThird social accounts.
Bay FC will kick off its inaugural season in March 2024 at PayPal Park in San Jose. Ticket deposits are now open for Bay FC’s inaugural season and new merchandise can be purchased at BayFC.com. Fans can also follow @wearebayfc on social channels for more exciting announcements to come.
About Bay Football Club
Bay Football Club (Bay FC) is the new women’s professional soccer franchise representing the Bay Area and the 14th team to join the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). Bay FC was established in April 2023 and co-founded by USWNT legends Brandi Chastain, Leslie Osborne, Danielle Slaton, and Aly Wagner in partnership with global investment firm Sixth Street and an investor group of leading tech, business and sports executives. Sixth Street’s investment is the largest institutional investment to date in a women’s professional sports franchise. Bay FC is changing the face of women’s soccer as we know it. Beginning play in the 2024 season, we are building a squad that will play the beautiful game with power, passion, energy, and creativity. Ticket deposits are now open for Bay FC at https://bayfc.com and fans can follow Bay FC’s social channels (@wearebayfc) for the latest news, merchandise, and events.
