As our affiliation with the SJ Earthquakes expires at the end of this season, we are excited to announce that it is our intention to enter into a five-year affiliation agreement with San Diego based Surf Sports! We are excited about the new opportunities this partnership would deliver to our families and we wanted to provide you with a brief overview of the affiliation as the agreement becomes official.
What will our name be changed to?
Folsom Lake Surf Soccer Club – “Folsom Lake Surf”
When does this change take effect?
We will officially rebrand in early 2020 coincident with 2020-2021 tryouts.
Why is FLEQ becoming Folsom Lake Surf?
The landscape of youth soccer is changing. Regional leagues are now competing with National leagues including the DA and ECNL. These National leagues, and the tournaments and showcases they sponsor, are garnering more and more attention from college coaches. And while ultimately there is plenty of fun in simply competing, even that is becoming more difficult in an environment where clubs with National programing have a marked recruiting advantage.
Our affiliation with Surf aligns us with the most influential organization in youth soccer in the US, outside of MLS and US Soccer itself. Becoming a Surf partner provides us with greater access to some of the most important tournaments annually, including Surf Cup, Surf College Showcase and Man City Cup, and gives us an inside track on developing “National Programming” which we are currently exploring.
An evolution to “National Programming” for our older teams would take effect gradually, in stages, over the next few years. This is very much a work in progress, but you should take some confidence in the fact that we have a very capable partner in Surf and a thoughtful and strategic team on the ground here who will guide us through the process.
The relationship with Surf will also create additional pathways for our players to grow and develop among their peers at other Surf-affiliated clubs as part of select teams, ID camps and other unique development events.
The Surf brand will also enable us to grow our own development content, including more robust college events, more varied Summer and Winter break programming, and, most importantly, greater continuing education for our coaching staff.
What is the timeline for the affiliation?
We will continue to operate as Folsom Lake Earthquakes for the rest of the 2019-20 season and start the 2020-21 season as Folsom Lake Surf. We will start the rebranding process on January 1, 2020.
What happens to my team for the rest of this season?
Nothing. All of our current teams will continue with the same players, coaching staff and team managers. We will not be making any changes at the team level until tryouts in 2020.
Will the structure of what FLEQ currently offers change?
The Folsom Lake Surf structure will offer a similar structure of play to that of FLEQ’s.
There will continue to be two divisions of play:
- Surf Premier Division: Our current FLEQ Premier teams will naturally transition into Surf Premier teams. This division will continue to be for teams that offer a full year round playing experience coached by a professional coach. Our long-term goal is to have 1-2 teams playing at the top levels offered by the leagues we are playing in.
- Surf Elite Division: Our existing Elite teams will play in this division, which will offer a traditional select team model that will play less than year-round and under a volunteer coach. Our long-term goal would be to form 1-2 teams at this level per age group.
An additional level of play will be available at the recreational club level (Folsom Soccer Club, Orangevale Soccer Club, Rancho Cordova Soccer Club) as a Select team. Select teams playing at the recreational club level will play in the Cal North League and Cal North State Cup events.
We are creating these options for Elite teams to be more flexible when it comes to offering players the chance to play at the levels they would like to commit to. While it is our hope that top players aim to funnel up into Premier teams, we will respect and support decisions of players and their families to play at any level they choose. Regardless of what level, we will support all players wishing to seek additional playing opportunities throughout the Surf network, including helping them with gaining college exposure should they want it.
Please note: Elite teams remaining in the Surf structure will have access to NorCal Premier League and State Cup events, while teams registered through a Recreation Division will play in Cal North League and Cal North State Cup events.
Will our field locations change?
We will continue to practice and hold games on the same fields.
What league will we be playing?
We will continue to use our league registrations with NorCal and Cal North and will place teams according to what will provide the most valuable experience to teams and players.
Elite teams wishing to play in one of our recreation programs will play Cal North.
Will my club or team fee structure change due to the affiliation?
Club and team fees will not change due to the affiliation.
Who will be making soccer and coaching decisions?
All soccer and coaching decisions will continue to be made by our Soccer Directors with the support of the FLSL Board of Directors. Fritz Libby and Spencer Lowe will play the roles of Folsom Lake Surf’s Co-Executive Directors and Rey Harris will continue to direct the playing and coaching aspects of the Club as Director of Soccer Operations. This team is currently in the process of creating a soccer leadership team that will work under Rey’s guidance. This team will provide more support, to coaches, players and their families across age groups. Rey and his team plan to work with Surf to utilize their network and resources to enhance our curriculum and train our coaches. They will participate in monthly Surf meetings to brainstorm and share ideas about their craft, but there will be no direct Surf participation in Folsom Lake Surf’s curriculum development or deployment.
Danny Cruz will expand upon the College Placement work he has done with his boys team and will play a formal role as our Club’s College Adviser. Danny will have access to Surf’s vast college recruitment resources and will work with the Surf team to organize and manage meaningful events and activities aimed at educating our players and parents about college placement and putting our players in front of coaches.
Who will manage the club?
Our current management structure will be modified to best suit the needs of the partnership with Surf. We are dissolving the FLEQ Management Board and creating a Folsom Lake Surf Executive Team. This team will report directly to the Folsom Lake Soccer League volunteer Board of Directors elected by our voting members. In addition, our non-profit 501(c)(3) status will not change. Surf will have no say in any decisions made by our club other than in the use of the Surf brand.
How will each team be managed?
As before, each team will continue to be managed by a Team Administrator/Team Manager with guidance from our Soccer Directors and Board of Directors as needed.
Will we be getting new uniforms for the 2020-2021 season?
Yes. Teams will order new kits in the Spring which will be delivered during the Summer. We will send more details about this process, including costs, in the next few months. Please note that the Premier and Select Elite Division teams will have different uniforms, but all will be branded and identified as Folsom Lake Surf. If an Elite team chooses to play with their respective recreation soccer club, they will wear that club’s uniform.
Regardless of the affiliation, FLEQ was planning to order new kits for 2020-2021 season as our three-year Adidas deal concludes at the end of this season.
Will you have an information session to answer questions?
Yes. We will host a Town Hall to answer questions and give families an opportunity to hear from our Board of Directors, Executive Team and Surf directors about why we believe this affiliation is very good news for our players and families.
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As the Folsom Lake Surf transitions into the 2020/2021 season, email any questions to info@folsomlakesurf.org.