USL Academy Head Coach Announced
Wendell Hannaford appointed head coach of Inferno’s USL Academy team
Lancaster, PA – Lancaster Inferno is pleased to announce that Wendell Hannaford has been appointed head coach of their USL Academy team. The club recently announced their acceptance into the USL Academy league and will be fielding a U19 team set to kick off this fall. Read more about how Lancaster Inferno is providing a new opportunity for elite players in the region. Additional coaching staff for the USL Academy team will be announced soon.
“This is an exciting time and opportunity for our club and our community,” said Inferno’s USL Academy Coach/Youth Technical Director Wendell Hannaford. “The USL academy allows for players to continue their growth and development through a true pathway to the next level of soccer in our region and the US. The USL Academy’s unique structure and organization will provide our players with top quality competition and collegiate/professional exposure.”
Wendell Hannaford currently serves as Inferno’s Youth Technical Director, Head Coach of the U23 Women’s team, and Assistant for Inferno’s USL W League team. He was named Coach of the Year twice for leading the U23’s to two conference titles in UWS League Two (2021-2022). Coach Hannaford has been the head coach of the Warwick HS Girls Varsity team since 2016 and was named Section 1 Coach of the Year in 2020 and 2022.
He holds numerous USSF licenses and United Soccer Coaches diplomas. He holds a U.S. Soccer C License, Director of Coaching Diploma, and will be a U.S. Soccer Grassroots Coach Educator. He has over 15 years of experience coaching at the college, youth, ODP and pre-professional levels.
“Wendell’s exemplary dedication and passion to work with players makes him an excellent choice to lead this new initiative, he has proven himself not only at the youth level but also coaching our U23 team the past 3 seasons,” said Inferno President/GM, Francisco Cleaves. “He has also been instrumental in establishing our youth program.”
Lancaster Inferno will be holding two tryouts for players ages U15-U19 (2010-2006 birth years) to identify local talent for its U19 Academy team. The tryouts will be held on Friday, March 8th from 6:30 PM-8:00 PM and Thursday, March 28th from 6:00-7:30 PM at Manheim Township Athletic Complex (Weaver Fields).
Check out the club’s USL Academy FAQs page for more information.
About Lancaster Inferno
Founded in 2008, Lancaster Inferno fields a women’s pre-professional soccer team that competes in the USL W League. The First Team roster is composed of players who want to pursue their professional aspirations and features current/post college players and former professionals.
Headquartered in Rock Lititz (Lititz, PA) the Inferno is committed to providing a complete pathway from youth soccer to pre-professional. In addition to the pre-professional team, Inferno fields U20/U23 women’s teams during the summer months, and youth travel teams from the U9-U19 age groups year-round (Lancaster Inferno FC). Lancaster Inferno FC is the only all-girls travel soccer club in Pennsylvania that provides a player pathway from youth to pre-professional.
About the United Soccer League (USL)
The United Soccer League (USL) is the heartbeat of American soccer. Impacting more than 200 communities across the United States, the USL is the first and only soccer organization in the United States to build a youth-to-professional pathway for both men and women within one ecosystem. That structure includes three professional leagues: USL Super League (women), USL Championship (men), and USL League One (men); two pre-professional leagues: USL League Two (men) and the USL W League (women); and two youth platforms: USL Academy and USL Youth.
