Front Office Staff

Darin Van Tassell is the Statesboro USL League One and League Two franchise President. Darin H. Van Tassell and his wife, Netra Van Tassell, are the owners of The Clubhouse, the 64-acre entertainment complex located in Statesboro, GA. From 1989-2012, Van Tassell was active in the International Baseball Federation and conducted baseball clinics and coached in over forty countries. He served as the Competition Director for the 2008 Olympic Games held in Beijing. He served as Technical Commissioner for 2009 Baseball World Classic in Los Angeles and the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, the same position he occupied at the 30th Intercontinental Cup in Taiwan in 2006 and at the XXXV World Cup in Havana, Cuba in 2003. In September 2007, he served as the Tournament Director for the European Championships and Olympic Qualifier, held in Barcelona, Spain. In 1996 he became the youngest head coach in Olympic history, when he served as Head Coach for the Nicaraguan Olympic Baseball Team at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, leading the team to the Bronze Medal game against the USA. From 1994-1999, he was the Assistant Baseball coach at Georgia Southern, where he played for the Eagles from 1985-1989. He was inducted into the Georgia Southern Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005. He received the University’s prestigious “Award for Excellence in Service” in 2015.

He received his Ph.D. and M.A. in International Studies from the University of South Carolina and was awarded his B.A. from Georgia Southern in 1989. He recently retired from a faculty position in the Department of Political Science and International Studies at Georgia Southern University, where he was named the 2006 Professor of the Year at his alma mater.

Van Tassell served as President of the Board of Directors for the Statesboro Convention and Visitors Bureau and was the former President of the Boys and Girls Club of Bulloch County. He also serves as President of the Savannah-Hilton Head Youth Soccer Alliance. Van Tassell was named the 2011 Entrepreneur of the Year by the Statesboro-Bulloch County Chamber of Commerce. He and Netra live in Statesboro and have two sons, Whitt (25) and Payne (22).

Netra R. Van Tassell was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She went to Georgia Southern College and graduated in 1990 as a part of the last graduating class from Georgia Southern College. As an undergrad, Van Tassell studied Education with a double major in Early Child Education and Special Education and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Education. For her Master’s, Van Tassell attended the University of South Carolina with a concentration in Exceptional Children. Van Tassell was a kindergarten teacher from 1990-2001 and was a former professor in the College of Education and Department of Children and Family Development at Georgia Southern University from 2001-2010. She is the Executive Vice-President and owner of Tormenta FC, a professional soccer franchise in the USL.  She is the Vice-President of BVT Enterprises, Inc. and serves as the Chief Operations Officer of all activities at The Clubhouse, a 64-acre family entertainment center located in Statesboro, GA. She manages over 75 employees and is the responsible for the daily operations since 2010 at The Clubhouse. Van Tassell manages in Events and Public Relations, Food and Beverage, Attractions, Human Resources, Facilities all report directly to her. She is married to Darin Van Tassell and has two children – Whitt (25) and Payne (22).

Caroline Boykin is a public relations and marketing professional from Savannah, Georgia. Boykin earned her degree in public relations from Georgia Southern University, where she developed a deep appreciation for the Statesboro community and its residents. 

Boykin received her Master of Arts degree in mass communications from the University of Florida and is excited to bring in her wealth of knowledge of the field to her role with South Georgia Tormenta FC. Boykin hopes to develop research informed, long-term marketing objectives and initiatives to further engage South Georgia Tormenta FC with the surrounding community. 

Rich Flemings joins Tormenta FC after living the past 27 years in and around eastern Nebraska.  Since 2017, he has worked in various roles for soccer websites, ranging from writer to social media coordinator to researcher.  Most recently, Rich has been working with Who Gives A Hoot Media, highlighting Union Omaha results and club news.  He has also been involved with TheCup.US, writing articles related to the US Open Cup.  Rich is also the co-host of a USL League One podcast titled “League ONe the Rocks,” which covers recent results and news from around the league.

In his downtime, Rich enjoys watching sports, reading, going to the movies, running, drum corps, board games, and writing short stories. 

Bolt The Ibis grew up along the Georgia coast and freshwater streams, playing pickup soccer with the locals and fellow Ibis. One day, a sudden South Georgia lightning storm swept the young Ibis far away from his friends and family. After several days of flying and swimming to survive, he washed up on Tybee Island near Savannah. Luckily, our fearless Aussie leader, Joshua Phelps, was there
surfing. Phelps found the Ibis right in time, taking him into his care and under his wing. Word of this courageous youngster spread far and wide across the region. Bolt earned his name that day and gained a forever family where he fit right in. Vamos Tormenta!

Inspiration: Bolt The Ibis draws inspiration from the American White Ibis, a marsh bird native to the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida. The Ibis is known for its bravery in the animal kingdom. As our fans know, the Spanish translation for “storm” is tormenta. When a tormenta approaches, the Ibis is the last to seek shelter and the first to reappear when the storm subsides. Native American folklore portrays the Ibis as a leader among birds, along with being a symbol of both danger and optimism.

Personality traits: Sharp-witted, brave, loyal, fÚtbol enthusiast, loves to show off his fancy footwork, friendly but competitive, bleeds blue and magenta, might roast you on Twitter

Colt Carver serves as the director of soccer operations for Tormenta FC’s USL League One, League Two and W League teams. Carver previously served as the head equipment manager and kit man for South Georgia Tormenta FC.

Carver currently attends Georgia Southern University and is earning his undergraduate degree in Sports Management.

From 2019-21, Carver worked in equipment management at Brewton-Parker College in Mount Vernon, Georgia. Since 2021, he has served as an Equipment Manager for the Georgia Southern Women’s Soccer Team.

Having recently returned back to the Americas from a two-year coaching stint in Asia, Canadian Tom Valcke, a teacher through the COVID pandemic, and who has taught in 31 different countries, brings his distinguished pedigree from 30+ years in the baseball industry, including a decade with the Commissioner’s Office of Major League Baseball, to the soccer pitch as South Georgia Tormenta FC’s Senior Director of Franchise Development. His much-anticipated return follows an unprecedented year of success as head coach of Hong Kong’s Olympic men’s baseball team, culminated by a masterful year in Zhongshan, China, where he evaluated and trained the coaches, academies, and year-round programs of China’s men’s and women’s national teams, both baseball & softball, while serving as the Executive Director of Panda Sport & Culture for the China Olympic Federation.

While Valcke’s coaching experience includes everything from Team Canada to his six national championships with the Windsor Chiefs, he also scouted players such as Major League Baseball MVPs Larry Walker, Justin Morneau, Joey Votto, as well as Cy Young winner Éric Gagné, before they became superstars. Valcke also served as the GM of the Triple-A Calgary Cannons, Executive Director of Baseball Canada, President/CEO of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum, scout for the Toronto Blue Jays, broadcaster for the Montreal Expos, analyst for CBC Canada Radio/TV, Technical Director for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and three World Baseball Classics, an NCCP Master Course Conductor, and served as the Head Coach of the World Children’s Baseball Fair.

Valcke, a Mathematics/Computer Science graduate from the University of Waterloo, has been married for 36 years to his wife Paula, a school principal.  And all three of their children, Alanna, Jaxon & Mia, played soccer, graduated with Honors from university, sharing a Ph.D. and two Master’s degrees between them.  Mia, 23, will play in her fourth World Cup in August/2024, as a member of Team Canada’s Women’s Baseball team.  She has won a Silver and two Bronze medals in her first three.

Johnnie is a graduate of Georgia Southern University where he majored in Sport Management. The Bulloch County native grew up playing soccer and knew he wanted to pursue a career in sports. Johnnie has been an academy coach with the club since 2021, with the 05/06B Ibis Statesboro and 13B Ibis Statesboro teams. His aim is to continue to grow the love of the game in the surrounding areas, identify talent, and provide opportunities for young players to achieve their full potential in the sport.