We sat down recently with Kevin Grogan, the latest addition to an impressive and growing staff at WSC. Kevin will serve as a Strategic Advisor for WSC and brings an impeccable resume including a career filled with deep professional playing experience and soccer knowledge.
Q: Kevin, you’ve had an impressive journey in soccer, starting with your early days as a professional player. Can you tell us a bit about your background and how it has shaped you?
Kevin Grogan: Sure, my journey started at a young age when I was signed to a full-time contract for Manchester United at just 15 by Sir Alex Ferguson. I was there for six years and played alongside some of the greats including David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes – an absolute golden era for the club.
I also had the privilege of being part of Ireland’s Men’s Under-16 team, which won the UEFA European Under-17 Championship in 1998, one of my proudest soccer accomplishments.
I played professionally for nearly a decade, but, unfortunately, injuries cut my playing career short. That said, my passion for the game never diminished.
Q: You must have one or two great Alex Ferguson stories to share?
Kevin Grogan: Ha, of course! Well, I can remember a number of “hair dryer” treatments with him on the sidelines of games. They were called hair dryer because he was renowned for shouting at you, right up in your face at close range when he was displeased, so that’s what those moments came to be known as. He’s the greatest coach of all time, and someone who really prized young players, as we’re focusing on at WSC. I’ll also always be grateful to him for writing a personal reference that helped me obtain my visa to come over here.
Q: Tell us about your time since coming over to the U.S. and what excites you most about joining Westchester Soccer Club (WSC)?
Kevin Grogan: After moving to New York, I initially set up my own supplemental academy that did very well. Then I started to get more involved with the business side of the game, working with some of the big names here including world cup winners like David Villa, Andres Iniesta, and organizations such as soccer.com.
Since learning about WSC, I’ve grown very excited to be connected to it – Westchester is an amazing area, and it’s an opportunity to be a part of its very first professional sports franchise. When I met Mitch (Baruchowitz, Owner) and Simon (Baines, Sporting Director) their enthusiasm and vision for club was infectious and I knew I had to be a part of it.
WSC represents an incredible opportunity to build something special from the ground up. I’m excited to bring my experience from both the playing field and the business side to help shape the club’s vision and strategy. I see WSC as more than just a soccer club; it’s a community-driven organization with the potential to significantly impact the Greater Westchester area. I’m eager to help guide the club in a direction that balances competitive success with deep local engagement.
Q: How do you think your experience as a former professional player and coach will influence WSC’s style of play?
Kevin Grogan: My background gives me a unique perspective. I understand the technical and tactical aspects of the game from a player’s point of view, but I also know what it takes to build a cohesive, winning team. At WSC, we are committed to developing a dynamic style of play that is built on a ‘pass forward, run forward’ mentality in possession and a strong counter-pressing approach during defensive transitions. My role as a strategic advisor is to support Dave Carton, our head coach, in bringing this vision to life.
Dave is an incredibly progressive coach with fresh ideas and a clear philosophy that aligns with our club’s values. I’m excited to work alongside him to build a system that brings out the best in our players, emphasizes teamwork, and drives us toward success. We’re fortunate to have him at the helm as we shape the future of WSC together.
Q: As a strategic advisor, what key areas will you focus on to drive the club’s growth and success?
Kevin Grogan: I’ll focus on a number of areas: Initially, I’m working closely on recruiting players for our inaugural season, working with our coach Dave, Danny Dekker (co-founder), Simon and other advisers including World Cup and Olympic champion, Sara (Whalen) Hess. Next, I’m working with the staff to ensure that we build a culture where players, staff, and fans feel valued and connected to the club’s mission. Our culture is about doing the simple things right – punctuality, work rate, application, appearance; being consistent and leading by example.
Q: What do you hope to achieve with WSC in the coming years?
Kevin Grogan: I hope to help establish WSC as a leading soccer club, both on and off the field – we want our model to be the standard bearer for all other soccer programs in the United States. That means competitive success—creating a team that plays exciting soccer and challenges for titles—but also being a positive force in the community. I want us to be known for our commitment to player development, fan engagement, and community involvement.
Q: Any final thoughts for WSC fans and the community?
Kevin Grogan: I’m thrilled to be part of this journey with WSC. To the fans, I promise we will work tirelessly to build a club you can be proud of—a club that embodies the spirit and passion of Westchester. Together, we’re going to achieve great things, and I think that famous quote from Walt Disney really sums up what we’re shooting for:
“Whatever you do, do it well. Do it so well that when people see you do it they will want to come back and see you do it again and they will want to bring others and show them how well you do what you do.”