The big business of club

Larry Draluck is a coach and founder of one of the most successful girls’ soccer clubs in Orange County: the SoCal Blues.

But Draluck, who is also the coach of the Newport Harbor High girls’ soccer team, wouldn’t necessarily refer to his first gig as a “cash cow.”

“There are club coaches that do make a good living,” Draluck said, and I by no means am poor, but I’m not wealthy by any stretch—I’m not making a lot of money coaching soccer.”

It’s not difficult to see why or how club soccer would get the “cash cow” label. Club soccer is practically viral in Southern California.

According to John Weinerth, CEO of Cal South, a state association and governing body under U.S. Soccer, there are about 120,000 youth playing within Cal South’s network of 200-plus club and recreational teams. Roughly half that number are involved in competitive soccer, which is more serious and structured than recreational soccer.

Other clubs are hybrid clubs which operate both recreational and competitive arms. Weinerth estimated that Cal South’s membership was growing by about eight to ten percent per year.

While each club operates differently, there are some basic characteristics a club must have to be part of Cal South.

The club must have at least five teams, and all clubs sanctioned by Cal South are 501-C3 organizations, meaning they are non-profit organizations.

The clubs must have bylaws, some governance structure, such as a board of directors, and it must be incorporated.

“Club soccer—it’s a cash cow,” said Estancia coach Gannon Burks. “You’re going to make money on that. The parents pay money to support the kids. They use that money to go to tournaments, and they also pay the coaches.”

Every club is different, and some Orange County Soccer Clubs take in somewhere between $50,000-$100,000 per year according their IRS 990 forms.

Other powerhouse clubs, such as the Fountain Valley Wolfpack, Irvine Strikers, Mission Viejo Pateadores and Southern California Blues charge as much as $1600 per player. Club fees generally pay for uniforms, Cal South League fees, and tournament fees.

According to the 2006 tax returns of the Irvine Strikers, the organization paid Director of Coaching Don Ebert $102,000 in salary.

Ebert is also the men’s soccer coach at Concordia University Irvine, and he is listed on the Strikers’ website as a college coordinator.

The coaches fees and expenses for the Mission Viejo Pateadores topped $187,000 in 2006.

“Youth soccer in Southern California is about five years ahead of anything else,” Weinerth said. “The service level has advanced to that in terms of a variety of clubs providing a variety of different-level services. Within that, you’re going to get different quality levels, different philosophies, and different goals about what to provide the actual player. I certainly don’t think youth soccer is a whole lot different from volleyball, swimming, or lacrosse. Numbers are so great it’s going to stand out a bit more.”

Recently, Cal South, which is responsible for running the state cup, national cup, and the state Olympic Developmental Program, has put forth a new effort to envelope many of the Mexican leagues under its umbrella.

Weinerth estimated there are about another 100,000 people participating in Latino leagues throughout Orange and Los Angeles counties.

Last year, Cal South licensed more than 500 coaches through its Spanish education program. The organization has been offering the Spanish language licensing courses for the past four years.

“Our main goal is growing the game within Southern California,” Weinerth said. “The competitive programs get a lot of the fanfare. But we promote the game at all skill levels. Recreationally, that’s where the most growth is. We try to be pretty balanced in what we do.”

SORAYA NADIA MCDONALD is a staff writer. She may be reached at (714) 966-4613 or by e-mail at [email protected] NADIA MCDONALD is a staff writer. She may be reached at (714) 966-4613 or by e-mail at [email protected].