Jay Lockhart announced as U20 USL Academy Carolina Ascent FC Head Coach
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (March 21, 2024) – Charlotte Independence Soccer Club announces Jay Lockhart as Head Coach for the U20 USL Academy Carolina Ascent FC.

“I am excited to announce that Jay Lockhart is the Head Coach for the USL Girls Academy team this year," said Director of USL Programming, Charlotte Independence Soccer Club & Carolina Ascent FC USL W General Manager Greg Ashton. "Jay has been working extremely hard in the club to develop players and prepare them to move onto higher level teams. His experience extends from working with pro players all the way down to our youth rec programs. Jay has been a dedicated member of the coaching staff and continues to grow and push himself as a coach and fully deserves this role.
The USL Girls Academy team provides an environment for Jay to continue that good work. It is a great opportunity for players from a range of age groups to train together and push each other all with the aim of developing within a competitive environment. We have put together a balanced training and competitive game schedule for the summer that will also train alongside the W League team. This creates the opportunity for players to be called up to the W League team as part of the player pathway. I am excited to see Jay working with this group over the summer.”
Jay has been with the club for the past 10 years and currently coaches within the Girls ECNL National Program. He also oversees the TOPSoccer Inclusive Program in our south locations. For the past two years, he has also been an Assistant Coach for the Charlotte Independence USL League Two Pre-Professional team. You can also see Jay at American Legion Memorial Stadium as he is the Video Analyst for our First Team, Charlotte Independence. He has held this position for the past two years.
''This is a very exciting time for everybody in the Carolinas involved in Soccer," said USL U20 Carolina Ascent Head Coach Jay Lockhart. I look forward to contributing to the development of players who enter the Player Pathway and help all girls and women succeed in their goals. I really appreciate the opportunity to be a part of this progression of Girls & Women’s Soccer within the Club and can’t wait for the new season to begin this summer!”
*As the exclusive Player Development Affiliate with Carolina Ascent FC, the Charlotte Independence Soccer Club’s USL W team, USL U20, and USL Academy teams will adopt the new Carolina Ascent FC brand and uniforms. The club is proud that six staff members have been selected to work directly with Carolina Ascent Head Coach Philip Poole and the USL W and USL Academy programs. With a relationship spanning five years, the club looks forward to supporting the front office and ownership in their mission to help expand opportunities for girls and women through the creation of Carolina Ascent - on and off the field!
Information regarding ID Sessions for the Carolina Ascent U20 USL Academy will be coming soon.
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