Elliot Barr is a teacher by profession. And while none of us have ever been in his classroom, it’s easy to imagine the passion he brings to his teaching, because it drips from everything he’s involved in. Whether it be his work in Black soccer history, the way he manages his many social media accounts, or the fandom for his local club, the man is passionate about what he loves. One could argue that there’s no louder or more boisterous fan of the Richmond Kickers than Elliot Barr.

That fandom led to the creation of the most important Black lower league soccer event in the United States every year: The Henny Derby. While the history of the Derby is no secret - a budding rivalry between Richmond Kickers and Forward Madison spurred on by two outspoken Black fans, Elliot and Kyle Carr - the work of the two principle founders sometimes gets blurred in the retelling. But, take it from me, without Elliot and Kyle, there is no Henny Derby. Each season, the matches between the clubs have become progressively more important to soccer fans generally, but for Black soccer fans specifically, the matches have become cultural reunions. When the matches are announced, fans begin to discuss when and where they will be tailgating, what they expect from the match, and who they look forward to seeing there. It’s a community event, whether it be in Richmond or Madison. Taylor Rockwell, co-founder of the Total Soccer Show podcast, sees the derby as important for several reasons, but primarily because of the founders. “It’s a very unique thing for American soccer and certainly for lower division American soccer. And it’s also very representative of the groups that started the rivalry. It’s this thing that exists outside of mainstream, white, soccer culture. It isn’t meant for anyone else.”

Elliot’s passionate fandom took him from the stands to behind a microphone pretty quickly. He decided to get involved in podcasting 5 years ago because “no one outside the local paper was covering the Richmond Kickers.” He and his podcasting partner decided to start their Kickers’ podcast, Rivercity 93. That podcast has inspired countless more across the League One community, empowering fans across the country to start their own shows. But for Elliot, Rivercity 93 was only the beginning.

During the pandemic, when the world, including soccer, ground to a halt, Elliot began posting about Black contributors in the game of soccer. That eventually led to Can I Kick It FC, a Black soccer history podcast that describes its mission as “telling the stories of Black athletes, coaches, and owners that have impacted the game of soccer on and off the pitch.” As Elliot puts it, they “decided to do a podcast around that because there wasn't a show on the subject already.” The history podcast’s goal was “to be a vehicle for listeners who were interested in certain topics of black history but need a way to learn more about them.” Now almost 80 episodes later, the show has become a touch point for anyone to connect with Black soccer culture, but most importantly the Black soccer community.

But that’s only the second podcast Barr is involved with. He’s also a core part of the Walkin 90 podcast, which focuses on USL League One. That show is powered by multiple Black podcasters, including Kyle Carr and Eboni Christmas. Blackness was an important part of why the show was formed, according to Barr. “One of the main factors in doing this was to have more black voices talking about the sport and show people that POC can do just as good or not better a job of covering the league.” His cohosts aren’t shy about their appreciation of Elliot’s contributions. Eboni sees his impact as monumental. “The amount of knowledge he has about the game and his ability to break it down to the level that even someone who has never watched a single minute can understand is huge. He brings a level of care to sharing the Black History of this sport that no one else can touch…He’s the Grant Wahl of lower league soccer. And the Grant Wahl of the Black soccer movement.”

While Elliot is a force within the soccer community, he’s consistently low-key about his own importance and legacy, but he certainly does have an idea of how he wants to be seen. “I think that I want to be remembered more than just the guy who created the Henny Derby but as a man who opened doors for those looking to cover the sport, being a supportive fan to those in the community, being as someone who will always fight and push back against bigotry, racism, and sexism, and a good spirit. To me, those things are the most important to me because they speak to my growth as a man and as a person who believes that we should take every moment to learn and push for progress for others.”

Having interacted with Elliot Barr for the better part of five years, its hard to not love the man. He’s everything good about American soccer. He lets his passion get the best of him, at times, but there’s a streak of positivity and kindness that always shines through in everything he touches. His work has made the soccer community a better, more informed place. His impact is immeasurable. His legacy is unrivaled. He’s the best of us in so many ways and we’re lucky to have him.

- Dan Vaughn