Copyright 2012 RichmondUnited.org | All Rights Reserved.
The current leadership within our club is composed of individuals who are passionate about changing their communities. The
following provides a brief introduction for three of the officers within our club. You will see these officers coaching, setting fields,
attending meetings, speaking with youth and much more in order to contribute to their community. They come from different
backgrounds but their excitement and passion for improving their community is shared and a basis for their commitment.
Gelberg Rodriguez, President
Mr. Rodriguez is a structural engineer who grew up in Montalvin Manor, an unincorporated community of Contra Costa County. He
is a first generation college graduate with degrees from U.C. Berkeley (B.S. Civil Engineering) and U.T. Austin (M.S. Civil
Engineering). After graduating in 2003 from U.T. Austin, he had many opportunities to develop his career in many places other
than the Bay Area, but his passion for completing the work he began as a high school student (worked with youth soccer in
Montalvin Manor and also led a youth effort to perform park improvements that to this day has allowed Montalvin Manor residents
to play soccer on a level space) led him back to his old neighborhood. Since he moved back, he has been an active member of the
Montalvin Manor community and beyond.
When Mr. Rodriguez returned from college in 2004, he started coaching youth in Montalvin Manor. Eventually he worked with
others to organize an Under-19 boys team out of Montalvin Manor and they joined the Richmond United Soccer Club (RUSC) in the
Spring of 2007. At the end of the Spring, he was asked to join the board as president. At the time, there were six teams, of which
one was a girls team.
Since then, the club has grown to over thirty teams and approximately kids (of those 30+, ten are girls teams). The emphasis has
been to grow the club with teams that work within the mission of the club, which is to develop the youth of Richmond and
surrounding communities into responsible citizens through the sport of soccer. The club expects to continue growing because their
mission has resonated with the community.
Mr. Rodriguez has worked to grow the club while meeting the mission through continual education of coaches on the importance of
discipline and on-field behavior. Moreover, he has emphasized the importance of education. They have done so by taking college
trips to various
campuses (i.e., U.C. Berkeley, U.C. Davis and St. Mary's College) where youth meet college students and alumni. Mr. Rodriguez is
also working to implement a tutoring program that will help kids perform better in school. Mr. Rodriguez also serves as co-chair of
the Richmond SAFE (Safe Fields For Education) Coalition, a group that is focusing on improving and developing multipurpose fields
so that youth have sufficient access to better athletic facilities.
Throughout all these various efforts, he has also taken the time to coach teams of various ages from Under-10 girls through
Under-15 girls in the hopes of continuing to grow and provide more opportunities for girls to play soccer. He also helped coordinate
an effort with the City of Richmond to develop a winter futsal program which, under his guidance, grew to about 70 teams and
over 600 kids. His goal was to provide kids with an athletic activity during the winter so that they are involved in something positive
when outdoor activites are limited due to weather.
His long term vision is to see RUSC as a college pipeline where youth develop the values and skills necessary to succeed and
become college graduates and future leaders for our community. Through the results so far and through the tireless hours spent
by RUSC volunteers, Mr. Rodriguez strongly believes this vision will become a reality.
Bruce Greenlee, Registrar
Mr. Greenlee has resided in Richmond's North and East neighborhood for 30 years. He was a Peace Corps volunteer in Lima Peru in
the 60's. On returning to the United States in 1969, he became a bilingual teacher in the Berkeley Unified School District. While in
law school at the University of Wisconsin, he was a member of Legal Action of Wisconsin's migrant law project, representing
seasonal farmworkers in northeastern Wisconsin. He later served the Oakland-Berkeley-Richmond Spanish speaking community as
an attorney in private practice.
He is currently the staff attorney for the California Judicial Council Advisory Committee on Civil Jury Instructions.
While in South America, he became an avid soccer fan. His first involvement with youth soccer was in 1982 as a coach for the San
Pablo Salesian Boys Club. He has been coach, referee, registrar and president of the El Cerrito Soccer Club, and has been registrar
for the
Richmond United Soccer Club for over eight years. His tireless effort was recognized in April 2013 by the City of Richmond at their
Annual Volunteer Recognition and Awards Ceremony.
MEMBER OF THE ALAMEDA-CONTRA YOUTH SOCCER LEAGUE
SERVING THE CITY OF RICHMOND, CA & SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES