by Per Gary Moody
The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), the first and only men’s league designated by USASA as a Tier 1 national league, is proud to announce that Ambassadors FC Ohio has joined the league. The club will begin play in the 2025 season.
“We are excited to bring Ambassadors FC Ohio into our NPSL family,” NPSL Managing Director Cindy Spera said. “This is the first club in league history to call Canton and Stark County its home, and they will bring a different kind of football to the Hall of Fame City. We all admire the work they have done in serving communities all over Northeast Ohio and look forward to seeing them make an impact both on and off the pitch.”
The club is led by Director of Men’s Football Operations Bob Dean and Head Coach and Technical Director of Men’s Football Ryan Dean.
Bob Dean has been a part of the Northeast Ohio coaching fraternity since 1982 and now serves as the Director of Men’s Football Operations as well as serving as the Director of Global Development for the Ambassadors Football mission. Bob has coached over 100 players who have played collegiately at all levels as a youth, club, academy, high school, collegiate, and pre-professional head coach in his career. He was blessed to lead the Hudson High School girl’s program to five state tournament appearances, four finals, and one state championship. He is the winningest coach in Hiram College women’s soccer history and led Ambassadors FC Ohio to their first championship season in 2021. Bob holds two USSF national licenses and also serves as an advisory board member of the Positive Coaching Alliance. He has been a member of the United Soccer Coaches for over 30 years, having served as a mentor in their “30 Under 30” program as well as chairing several high school and collegiate ranking and poll committees.
“First, we are confident that we will bring the best possible football product to the league that we can possibly generate, being immediately competitive, and building a supporter base that we will strive to connect with on many levels,” Bob Dean said. “Next, we know that football opens the door for us to have faith ‘conversations’ in and around the game, meaning our platform with the NPSL will allow us to serve our mission purpose, serve the communities we are a part of, and share the gospel as we are called to do. Finally, we are called to build a brighter future through football and sharing our faith with the next generations. We pledge to do that through building meaningful partnerships that will act on serving the needs of the Canton/Akron regional community, starting with attacking food insecurities that exist in families in the region.”
Ryan Dean is the assistant men’s soccer coach at DII Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio. He is a graduate of Malone University where he competed for the Pioneers for three years before a career-ending knee injury led him to spend his senior season as an assistant coach at Malone. Ryan competed for AFC Ohio in their inaugural season in 2021, captaining them to their championship campaign in the Northern Ohio Soccer League (NOSL). He took the reins as head coach prior to the 2022 season, adding the role of technical director in early 2023. He has led Ambassadors to four-straight semi-final appearances in league tournament play as well as an NOSL League Cup title in 2024. He holds a National Diploma from the United Soccer Coaches.
Ambassadors Football Club is the club operations of the ministry in the United States. Ambassadors Cleveland is the parent club for Ambassadors FC Ohio, providing a pre-professional pathway for the youth club program in the region. Ambassadors Cleveland is already well known for its tremendously successful WPSL women’s pre-pro program that has featured many U.S. and international national team players, elite college players, and veteran professional players.
Ambassadors Football began as Ambassadors In Sport (AIS) in Bolton, England in 1990. They continued as AIS until the current name was adopted in 2013. The ministry was founded by a group called Missionary Athletes International focused from the beginning to partner with churches and Christian organizations to develop grassroots football ministry. To this day the work continues through football ministry training, football camps, clinics, prison ministry, school ministry, men’s and women’s teams, international tours, and global football event ministries including the World Cup. The mission operates in 30 countries around the world.
Dr. David & Winnie King Field at Malone University in Canton, Ohio will be the venue for the club’s home matches. It features bleacher seating for 550, a press box, and an artificial playing surface featuring ForeverLawn SportsGrass XP.
