Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Jill Ellis has stepped down as president of San Diego Wave FC amid a tumultuous year for the club to become FIFA’s chief of football, a newly created role. The Wave and FIFA made dual announcements on Tuesday.
In her new role, Ellis — a two-time World Cup-winning coach — will work alongside Arsène Wenger, FIFA’s chief of global football development.
Ellis leaves San Diego as a club in a moment of major transition. The Levine Leichtman family, led by Lauren Leichtman and Arthur Levine, recently completed an ownership takeover of the team as it stumbled to a 10th-place finish one year after winning the NWSL Shield.
In a statement, Leichtman also said the Wave is in “the final phase of identifying a new head coach on the heels of a global search.” The Equalizer’s Dan Lauletta previously reported that former Arsenal coach Jonas Eidevall is the favorite for the job.
Former Wave head coach Casey Stoney was fired from the job in June despite leading the Wave to the best…
