The Richmond Kickers Thank and Celebrate Head Assistant Coach Mika Elovaara
USL1 Richmond Kickers

The Richmond Kickers Thank and Celebrate Head Assistant Coach Mika Elovaara

Published on October 8, 2025 under United Soccer League One (USL1)
Richmond Kickers News Release


Richmond, Va. - The Richmond Kickers announced today that Head Assistant Coach Mika Elovaara will depart from the club at the end of the season to become Head Coach of Sarasota Paradise. The Florida side will be one of seven new USL League One expansion clubs for the 2026 season.

Elovaara has been a key member of the Kickers' coaching staff, bringing passion and a relentless work ethic to the program. Over the past seven years, he has played an integral role in shaping the culture of the team, mentoring Kickers players on and off the field, and the club's success. Elovaara's presence with the Kickers has helped Richmond become a premier hub for player and coaching development in the U.S. soccer pyramid. Mika currently teaches as a US Soccer A Senior license educator along with his duties with the Richmond Kickers.

"Looking back on my time with the Kickers, one of the most historic clubs in the country, I am grateful that I've had the opportunity to spend such a long time with the club and its strong community, and be a part of the journey for so many players, both youth and professional," said Elovaara. "For seven years, we poured our hearts and souls to drive the vision of the club and truly be there for the greater RVA community, providing opportunities for local players to pursue their dreams. Achieving success on the field with the first team as well as the U20s has been the icing on the cake, but it is the relationships with everyone that I will embrace forever. I couldn't have asked for a more supportive and accessible owner than Rob Ukrop; I appreciate his friendship and his unwavering vision for the club. Spending six intensive seasons with Darren has forged a brotherhood between us, and I will always be grateful to him for our friendship as well as his leadership over the years. Our tightly-knit staff with Conner, Evan, Brandt and Casey has a rare mix of camaraderie, banter and professionalism and I will miss seeing all of them every day. I would not be getting this new opportunity unless Rob and Darren facilitated and supported my overall professional development as well as my involvement with the US Soccer Federation. As this chapter in my career comes to a close, I wish the Kickers and all of RVA nothing but the best on and off the field. While my time to enjoy City Stadium on the home side is running out, I am already looking forward to visiting the beautiful venue and its passionate fans as a guest in the future."

An accomplished coach and educator both on and off the pitch, Elovaara holds a USSF A Senior License, UEFA B License, and UEFA Football Strength and Conditioning diploma as well as a Masters in English Philology and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature from the University of Oulu in his home country of Finland. Elovaara earned a BA in English from the University of North Carolina Wilmington where he played soccer for the Seahawks. While there, Elovaara was a four-year letter winner and two-time captain, and he still holds the school record with 79 starts.

Elovaara brought this knowledge into the Kickers locker room, in addition to the wealth of experience from his own time playing in the professional game, where he made over 150 appearances in Finland.

"I want to say that I will miss my close friend and partner in growth. Mika, along with Henna, Oona, Iisa, and Eeli are Kickers family and their total family commitment to our club was seen at every game at City Stadium and on most fields each night throughout Richmond," Chief Sporting Officer and Head Coach Darren Sawatzky said. "I wish him luck in a role he has been ready to take on for a long time. Mika Elovaara represents the modern player and coach educator and this community was very fortunate to have him with the Richmond Kickers professional team along with fostering the young players in this city with knowledge and opportunity. With the growth of professional soccer in the United States, the best leaders need to be recognized and integrated. Sarasota Paradise hired a good one."

Elovaara originally joined the Kickers as the team's First Assistant Coach prior to the start of the 2019 season as a part of the late David Bulow's staff. It was announced alongside Sawatzky's appointment in November of 2019 that Elovaara would stay on as the club looked to reinvigorate talent development and create pathways to higher levels of professional soccer for local and regional players.

Three years later, Elovaara added Technical Director of Richmond United to his responsibilities, allowing him to solidify the Richmond pipeline and lead the training and development of players looking to make the jump from academy to professional.

"The RVA soccer community has been blessed with a good friend and tremendous coach in Mika," Kickers Chairman and CEO Rob Ukrop said. "His commitment to the growth of the game across the region has been relentless since he first arrived to coach the women at the University of Richmond. One of Mika's greatest gifts is his ability to teach the beautiful game to young men and women while also fostering a genuine love for the game. Mika and his family will be missed, but we wish him the best of luck leading the Sarasota Paradise."

Elovaara drove the Evolving the Pyramid initiative at City Stadium. Under his guidance, the Richmond Kickers successfully implemented the back-to-back division champion U20 USL Academy team, and saw four homegrown players - Landon Johnson, Beckett Howell, Griffin Garnett and James Sneddon - sign professional contracts directly from their academy play. With the partnership with Richmond United, the club saw several other young players grow their game and contribute to the Kickers' environment - both in training and on the pitch - before moving onto other professional or college opportunities.

Richmond saw several successes with Elovaara as a core member of Sawatzky's staff. In 2021, the Kickers made their first postseason appearance since the 2016 season after the team put together a memorable five-game win streak in the final stretch of the season.

Then, in 2022, the club celebrated its first regular-season title since 2013, while setting what was then the USL League One record of 54 goals scored in a single season. The Players' Shield winning squad hosted the first Kickers home playoff game in the USL League One era in front of 5,526 fans at City Stadium.

"I'm very thankful for what Mika has done for me and my teammates throughout the years," said right back Simon Fitch. "He never fails to give as much time to you as you need which is really impressive for someone in his position who is as busy as he is. I'm most thankful and respect him the most for who he is as a person. He has been much more than a coach to a lot of us and cares about us a lot off the field and that goes along way. I am excited for him to take on a new challenge, and the Kickers community will miss him a lot but we wish him the best and hopefully our paths will cross again soon."

The Richmond Kickers wish Coach Elovaara the best as he heads into this new opportunity and the club is grateful for all his contributions across his time here.

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United Soccer League One Stories from October 8, 2025


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