FC Cincinnati have hired Garrison Draper as the Vice President of Sport Performance and Health, the club announced today.
Draper brings to FC Cincinnati over 12 years of performance and medical leadership experience within soccer. He spent the past two seasons as the High Performance Director with Inter Miami CF and prior to that served as Vice President of Player Health and Performance with Philadelphia Union for nearly a decade.
Draper graduated from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Physiology and he received his Master’s in Human Performance from Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia. He completed his PhD at Teesside University in Middlesbrough, United Kingdom, studying the impact of weather, travel and altitude on elite soccer player performance. Draper is also a visiting fellow at Teesside University supporting the growth and development of future sport scientists. He is fluent in Spanish.
At FC Cincinnati, Draper will oversee all aspects of the club’s performance and medical initiatives, including athletic training, nutrition, strength and conditioning, performance psychology, sport science and physical therapy. He will also oversee the club’s medical relationship with Mercy Health, working in tandem with Chief Medical Officer Dr. Matthew Busam. Draper will report to FC Cincinnati General Manager Chris Albright.
“I am very excited for the opportunity to join a really impressive club, which has grown so much over the past four years,” said Draper. “I have great relationships with many of the staff already at FC Cincinnati, and I have followed the development of the club very closely. I am grateful to Chris Albright and Pat Noonan for the opportunity to join this team and be a part of many future successes.”
“We’re excited to add someone with the experience and qualities of Garrison to our staff,” General Manager Chris Albright said. “Garrison brings many years of high-level sports performance expertise to FC Cincinnati and he is highly regarded as one of the very best in the field. He has a deep understanding of what it takes to be successful on and off the field in Major League Soccer, and we’re excited to welcome him and his family to Cincinnati.”
Over the past two seasons as High Performance Director with Inter Miami, the club won Leagues Cup 2023 and the 2024 Supporters’ Shield. During his time, he was heavily involved in the planning and implementation of the club’s first preseason world tour which took them around the world, from El Salvador to Japan.
Prior to joining the Miami staff, Draper spent over eight seasons with the Union. He joined the club in January 2014 as the Director of Sports Science for the Philadelphia Union Academy. He worked his way up to Vice President of Player Health and Performance. During his time at the club, the team won the Supporters’ Shield in 2020 and made an MLS Cup appearance in 2022. The Union become well renowned for player availability under Draper.
Draper replaces Gary Walker, who departed in the 2024 season for the role of Head of Performance for English Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion.
