Play Chesterfield is excited to welcome Jennifer Winnagle as Chesterfield County’s new sports relations manager, bringing more than 15 years of experience across youth, collegiate and national-level sports to the Sports, Visitation & Entertainment team.
In her new role, Winnagle will provide leadership and strategic oversight for Chesterfield County’s local athletics program, community sports partnerships and sports-related initiatives. She will work closely with local leagues and organizations, Chesterfield County Public Schools, county departments and facility partners to strengthen the participant experience, maximize the use of county athletic facilities and continue building a local sports system that serves Chesterfield residents and families. She will also work alongside local sports partners to develop, strengthen and grow homegrown events right here in Chesterfield and the Richmond region, creating opportunities that serve the community while attracting participants and visitors to the county.
Winnagle joins Chesterfield after most recently serving as director of business development and events for FCTR Sports, where she helped lead business development, events and organizational growth. Prior to FCTR, Winnagle spent more than nine years with The ECNL, one of the nation’s leading youth soccer organizations. Joining the organization early in its growth, she steadily advanced through its leadership ranks, from member services manager to commissioner and ultimately chief operations officer. In those roles, she helped lead league and event operations, membership services, club relationships, national competition and organizational strategy during a period of significant growth for the ECNL.
Her career also includes experience with VCU Athletics, where she worked in athletics administration, development, stewardship and special events. Winnagle’s connection to sports began as a student-athlete at VCU and later an assistant women’s soccer coach at the University of Richmond, where she was part of a program that competed at the highest levels of collegiate soccer.
That combination of perspectives, as an athlete, coach, administrator, event operator and sports executive, will help guide Play Chesterfield’s continued work to create an equitable, accessible and high-quality athletics experience for the community while strengthening partnerships and supporting tournaments and events that generate visitation and economic impact.
“Jen brings a unique combination of high-level sports experience and a genuine understanding of what athletics means at the community level,” said J.C. Poma, executive director of Sports, Visitation & Entertainment. “As we continue to grow our local athletics program, she will help us strengthen relationships with our leagues and partners, improve how we serve our residents and ensure we are maximizing Chesterfield’s tremendous sports facilities and resources.”