ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The first significant move of the Tampa Bay Rowdies’ partnership with EFL Championship club Norwich City FC arrived on Monday morning as the Rowdies acquired defender Caleb Richards on loan for the 2019 USL Championship season.

The 20-year-old had been on a short-term loan with FC United of Manchester until his move to the Rowdies. He is a left-footed player that will compete at the left wing back or left back positions.

“We are developing a real partnership with Norwich City and it started from their visit in November,” Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins said. “I had the chance to spend time with [Norwich City FC Academy Manager] Steve Weaver and [Norwich City FC Sporting Director] Stuart Webber while they were training at Al Lang and we spoke about the opportunity of getting a player on loan such as Caleb and how both clubs can benefit from this.

“We identified Caleb right away after speaking with Neil Adams [Norwich City FC Loan Manager] and think Caleb is a player that has a lot of growth potential within the game and someone that will have an impact with the Rowdies this season.”

Richards was brought up in the Blackpool youth academy, turning professional in 2017 after captaining the club’s youth sides. He had a series of loans away from Blackpool before departing for Norwich City last summer.

A native of Salford, England, Ricards played in 12 Premier League 2 matches for the Norwich U23s before his move to Manchester.