Mike Panter has officially been named Vice President of Soccer Operations for South Georgia Tormenta FC ahead of the inaugural USL Division III campaign after serving as the Director of Operations & Compliance for the Premier Development League – the top pre-professional league in North America – in 2018.
Panter will manage all aspects of the Tormenta FC front office and oversee all business operations for the club, including ticketing, sponsorships, team travel, media and communications.
“Mike has done an exceptional job increasing standards year over year in the PDL, while raising the operational efficiency and competition level,” Tormenta FC Majority Owner and President Darin Van Tassell said. “His work ethic and desire make him the perfect fit for this position as we prepare for 2019 and beyond.”
Panter joined the PDL in 2014, working first as an intern before being hired as an Assistant Director for the PDL following the conclusion of the league’s season in August. He served in that capacity until he was elevated to his role as Director of Operations & Compliance in October 2017.
He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from Saint Leo University, where he played for the Lions’ men’s soccer program for four years and was selected as a captain by his teammates during his senior season in 2013.
“I’m thrilled to join South Georgia Tormenta FC and look forward to working with Darin and Netra Van Tassell as the club prepares to kick off play in USL Division III in 2019,” Panter said. “I’ve had the pleasure to work with club since its inception in 2015, and I’m eager to build on what the club has accomplished to date.”
Founded in 2015 and based in Statesboro, Georgia, South Georgia Tormenta FC is the first founding member of USL Division III. The club established itself as one of the premier amateur teams across the United States before joining USL Division III, earning the PDL’s New Franchise of the Year award in 2016 and finishing as a runner-up for the PDL’s Franchise of the Year award in 2017.
The club has filed plans to construct a new state-of-the-art 5,000-seat soccer-specific stadium in Statesboro, with the intention of attracting other sporting events and possibly serving as a home venue for Georgia Southern University Men’s and Women’s Soccer. Planned to be built next to The Clubhouse on Old Register Road, the new venue would provide an exciting and authentic professional soccer experience for fans and players.
About USL Division IIIUSL Division III is shaping the future of the game in the United States, uniting passionate fans in new markets with the thrill of a proven professional soccer experience. USL Division III named 10 founding members set to compete in the inaugural 2019 season in its sanctioning application to the U.S. Soccer Federation on Aug. 14, including the previously-announced South Georgia Tormenta FC, FC Tucson, Greenville Triumph SC, a Madison-based team, Chattanooga Pro Soccer, Toronto FC II and Orlando City B. The remaining teams will be announced in the coming weeks and months, as well as the league’s official competition structure and brand.
