Greenville Triumph's Joe Erwin Stepping Down as Chairman

Erwin will remain an owner and board member as big changes loom for the club

Image credit Greenville Triumph

With 2026 set to bring huge changes for Greenville Triumph, the club announced today that Chairman Joe Erwin will be stepping down. Erwin will remain majority owner and a board member of the club he founded in 2018 ahead of the inaugural USL League One season in 2019.

Greenville is set to open a new soccer-specific stadium at Bridgeway Station in nearby Maudlin, South Carolina ahead of the 2026 season. The stadium’s expected capacity of 10,000 has led to speculation that the club may be gunning for a move to USL Championship as soon as 2026. At the very least, the club would be set up nicely for higher divisions if they wait to earn the jump via promotion in 2027 or beyond.

Erwin’s time as chairman has seen Greenville Triumph find success on the pitch, earning a playoff berth in every season of its existence and a title in 2020. It’s also seen an ongoing struggle to maintain a stadium, having played at Legacy Early Field and currently Paladin Stadium at Furman University.

The stadium situation caused Greenville to decline hosting in the later rounds of their Jägermeister Cup run in which they defeated USL Championship club Indy Eleven in the quarterfinals before falling to Hartford Athletic in the semi-finals.

However, after years of delay and changes, the club broke ground on the new facility earlier this year, cementing the team’s presence in Upstate South Carolina for years to come.

Erwin also launched USL-W side Greenville Liberty in 2022.

Per the club, an announcement regarding leadership transition is upcoming. Currently, Chris Lewis serves as team President, while Erwin’s son Doug Erwin serves as Vice Chairman and a minority owner. Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho also has a minority stake in the club via his Grupo Ronaldinho ventures.

We’ll keep an eye on this and any further developments in Greenville as the season heads into the home stretch.

Currently, Greenville sits at 12th in the table, six points out of the playoff race, in danger of missing the post-season for the first time ever. They’ll host Madison on Saturday, September 20th, looking to break a four-match losing streak.