New York City FC’s Jeb Brovsky on His Quest Against Domestic Violence

Footballers are often negatively portrayed by the media, stereotyped as being reckless and morally questionable—unfit, some would say, to be role models to young, impressionable people.From the Ched Evans rape conviction, to Luis Suarez and John Terry being involved in incidents of racial abuse, the case for footballers being good role models is becoming increasingly difficult to make. Not all footballers are the same, of course, but it’s easy to see why many feel there is a somewhat nasty undercurrent to the culture of the game. Jeb Brovsky, New York City FC’s attacking full-back, is certainly doing his best to challenge any negative preconceptions people may have of footballers. Educated at Notre Dame university, Brovsky graduated with a BA in Business Management and International Peace Studies, and upon leaving decided to set up Peace Pandemic, a charity aimed at using football to stamp out violence around the world. The remit of the charity soon changed, though, focusing more specifically on trying to stop violence towards women, an issue close to Brovsky’s heart. “I set it up while I was at university,” he said, during a preseason training camp at Manchester City’s new academy facility. “Basically, it was an accumulation of my ...

Jason Kreis Exclusive: NYCFC Coach on Lampard, Villa and Shadowing Pellegrini

One of the most interesting developments at Manchester City in recent times has been the creation of the City Football Group, a collective of clubs across the world that bear the City name and wear the famous sky blue shirts. City Football Group have acquired Melbourne Heart in the Australian A-League and rebranded them as Melbourne City FC, and Yokohama F. Marinos in the Japanese J-League. Perhaps the most well-known addition to the group, though, is New York City FC, a brand new franchise that will begin competing in this season’s MLS when it gets under way in March. Jason Kreis was the man headhunted to take the role of head coach at NYCFC. He is known for his work at Real Salt Lake, where he enjoyed a successful seven-year stint in charge, winning the MLS Cup in 2009 and finishing runner-up to Sporting Kansas City in 2013.He plays an attractive, possession-based brand of football, in keeping with the style and ethos City said was such an integral part of the club’s “holistic” approach when Roberto Mancini was sacked in 2013. It seems their holistic remit has been expanded to encompass all aspects of the City Football Group.Since his appointment ...