San Diego’s Surf SC Welcomes New Affiliate, Greater Seattle Surf
The oldest competitive youth soccer club in San Diego, San Diego Surf Soccer Club was established in 1977 to draw the best players from Southern California. Surf SC may be headquartered in America’s eight largest city but its reach is far and wide extending as north to Seattle, Washington and south to Hawaii. Always looking to further the development of elite youth soccer players, Surf SC’s affiliate program provides great guidance for other youth soccer clubs.
Soccer News – Surf Soccer Club’s affiliate network grew by one as Greater Seattle Surf Soccer Club was launched in Washington State. Two existing large clubs, FC Alliance and Northwest Nationals, merged and reorganized under the Surf Soccer Club banner and aim to evolve into a regional youth soccer powerhouse in the Northwest. This is the 8th affiliate for Surf Soccer Club, and second in Washington State.
“Our club is the product of a merger between two already successful clubs who believe that together we can become the model for development in our region,” said Sean Hansen, Greater Seattle Surf Co-President. “Our affiliation with Surf SC is another step toward that goal. Surf SC is widely recognized to be one of the top soccer clubs in the country both on and off the field. We believe that our affiliation with Surf says something about the direction we are taking the club, and something about where an organization like Surf SC believes we are going.”
Surf Soccer Club continued its affiliate philosophy by partnering with an ambitious and competent soccer club that aligns with its developmental philosophy to produce soccer players equipped to play at the highest levels of the sport.
Regarding the newly branded club, VP of Affiliates Bryan Thistle said, “This club is primed to become a force to reckon with in the Northwest. Top level coaching, excellent administration and a commitment to provide soccer services at the highest possible level combine into an organization that we believe will be a cornerstone of our affiliate network efforts in the years to come.”
Greater Seattle Surf will be led on the field by Director of Soccer Operations, Dave Schumacher, and Technical Director Scott Newman.
Schumacher’s career spans over three decades, and includes positions within the Seattle Sounders organization, head coaching responsibilities for club, high school and Olympic Development teams, and currently as an active member of the National Instructional Staff for US Soccer and US Youth soccer. Dave also holds a National USSF “A” License. Newman brings 26 years of coaching experience at the competitive youth and college levels, including 21 years on the Regional ODP staff and also holds a National USSF “A” License.
Greater Seattle Surf will be launching with tryouts for older boys. Both San Diego and Seattle clubs are actively working together to produce mutual training opportunities as well as expanding Surf’s well-known and popular tournaments, camps, and trainings to the Seattle area.
Interview with Thistle to learn more about Surf’s unique approach to building an affiliate network.
Congratulations on your latest affiliate club! Why Washington, and why this club?
Bryan Thistle: Thanks! We received over 30 applications in 2015 from many qualified clubs across the country, and ultimately decided to move forward with this group, as the team felt that this group brought enormous potential to represent the Surf brand at the highest levels. We also felt there were synergies between Greater Seattle Surf and our other Washington affiliate, PSPL Surf that could produce great things in the future.
There are a number of affiliate programs out there, not only from US Clubs but also overseas professional clubs. Is the Surf program similar to those programs? How does your program work?
Bryan Thistle: I believe our affiliate program is different in several important respects, chief of which is the framing of the relationship. We are truly partners with our clubs, and are not service providers for a fee. We want to invest in our affiliates and give them the tools, contacts and market advantages that come from a partnership with a club like Surf rather than direct money from their parents to fund our programs.
Do you mean to say you don’t charge a fee to be a part of the Surf network?
Bryan Thistle: That’s correct. There are no set up fees, no annual fees, no per player fees. We only ask that they support our uniform sponsors and other sponsors when making normal purchases.
How much involvement do you have over the operations of affiliate clubs?
Bryan Thistle: We provide tools, opportunities, support, guidance but exert no direct control over the day to day operations of the affiliate club. They wouldn’t be granted an affiliation if they didn’t already have the pieces in place to run a top-flight organization. We’re here to help them accomplish their organizational goals, not dictate the way they go about achieving them.
What are your plans for the network in the future?
Bryan Thistle: We’ve brought on an additional staff member to help move forward some of our bigger goals, which include establishing a Surf-only college combine, regular coach training, joint camps, an expansion of the Surf Select program to Surf tournaments, and coordination of overseas trips with our new partners AM Sportstours.
What is the Surf Select program?
Bryan Thistle: Our goal is to provide every single player wearing our kit to have the opportunity to play at the highest level, and receive the attention that playing on that stage provides. Right now, the bulk of attention from college coaches and professional scouts come at premier tournaments, which allow entrance to only the most highly-ranked teams in the country. Sometimes, an exceptional player will play on a team that cannot qualify for these venues, and this is where Surf Select teams come in to help. We form teams from across our affiliate network of kids who deserve that opportunity, and bring them together to compete at these elite events under the Surf banner with SD Surf coaching.
For questions about the Surf affiliate network, you can contact Bryan Thistle directly at bthistle@surfsoccer.com or (760) 685-0766.
