NASL FC Edmonton

FC Edmonton Announces Departure of Midfielder Ritchie Jones

Published on June 22, 2016 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
FC Edmonton News Release


FC Edmonton Midfielder Ritchie Jones
FC Edmonton Midfielder Ritchie Jones
(FC Edmonton)

EDMONTON, AB - FC Edmonton announced, June 22, the release of midfielder Ritchie Jones. Jones and the club mutually agreed to part ways following a meeting between the two parties at the conclusion of the Eddies' North American Soccer League (NASL) Spring Season.

Jones, 29, joined the Eddies in 2014, making 44 regular season appearances over the course of the 2014 and 2015 seasons, registering seven goals in league play during that span.

"We brought Ritchie into the changing room at the end of the Spring Season and it was quite emotional," FC Edmonton head coach Colin Miller explained. "He has been with us for a number of years now and was a terrific football player for us, both on and off the park. He has been a great ambassador for the club and he is a model professional if you can say that. It is a big loss to the club and a big loss to the changing room, for sure. He is class, personified."

The Manchester, England native sustained a knee injury during 2015 offseason training and despite continuous rehab through the Spring, had yet to feature in an Eddies match in 2016.

"It will be a big pair of shoes that need to be filled with Ritchie gone," Miller added. "We hope that he recovers from his knee injury. It is not a career-ending injury from what we are told, but at this moment in time both parties agreed that the best thing moving forward would be to terminate the contract...Ritchie was at one point, maybe the best box-to-box central midfield player in the NASL. He was flying at one point, picked up an injury and unfortunately, never really recovered from it."

A product of Manchester United's youth academy, Jones quickly became a fan favourite following his arrival in Edmonton.

"Ritchie has been great for FC Edmonton during his time with us," FC Edmonton co-owner Tom Fath added. "It is really too bad his knee injury prevents him from playing again this season, we will miss Ritchie. He has been great on the field of play and wonderful out in the community. We wish Ritchie all the best and hope his knee heals up completely after a period of rest and therapy."

FC Edmonton returns to action at Clarke Field, July 10 versus Fort Lauderdale Strikers at Clarke Field. For tickets and more information, please click HERE, call 780.700.2600, or visit www.fcedmonton.com.

Check out the FC Edmonton Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Images from this story

FC Edmonton Midfielder Ritchie Jones
FC Edmonton Midfielder Ritchie Jones
   



North American Soccer League Stories from June 22, 2016


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central