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Heaps’ Hiring Turns Heads for Birmingham

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 02/02/18, 5:29PM EST

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Vision of club’s ownership sold former Revolution stalwart on leadership role


Photo courtesy Birmingham Legion FC

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The launch of 2019 USL expansion club Birmingham Legion FC’s crest and branding got plenty of people’s attention.

Among them was the club’s new President and General Manager, Jay Heaps, whose advance look before its release in January only added to the feeling he had about the project he was being recruited for.

“I'm a big believer in culture, and sure enough, you show up and the first thing they show you is the brand launch, talking about the three pillars of the pride, passion, and community,” Heaps told local media upon his official introduction on Thursday night at Good People Brewing. “That, I think, was where I had that moment of, ‘Alright, this is going to be great.’”

The former New England Revolution Head Coach will have a different role in Birmingham, leading the club’s front office, overseeing the hiring of the coaching staff and player recruitment as the Magic City’s team ramps up for its first season. While new territory for Heaps, the opportunity to build upon the strong foundation already present in the city is an exciting prospect.

“I think it was really about what I loved about building something,” said Heaps. “Being a part of a club from the beginning, to be able to say, ‘Hey, this is what we want as a culture,’ guess what? You can now take this and put this, top down, from ownership, on to the field.”

Heaps’ hiring has turned heads in the national soccer community and only added to the buzz the club is generating in the city. Among those on hand at the packed local brewery was Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, and many of those who’ll be cheering from the stands a year from now.

“We knew that we wanted a unique leader for this team,” said Legion FC co-owner Lee Stylslinger. “To have [Jay] in a general management role as president of our operations is a big, huge asset to our community.” 

For his part, Heaps and his family are looking forward to the opportunity that awaits them in the years to come.

“I brought my wife back right before Christmas to make sure she checked off on it, and she fell in love, and that was, for me, what was most important,” Heaps said. “It wasn't about ‘Hey, we need to have this number of people.’ It wasn’t ‘We need to win a championship by Year One.’ It was a lot of ‘Hey, we're doing this for the long haul. We're doing this for Birmingham,’ because we want to make this city proud of what we're putting on the field.”

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