Meet the New NorCal Clubs: Part 2
With last week’s announcement that NorCal Premier Soccer will welcome 11 new clubs into its competitions for the fall 2022 season, we’ve decided to give a brief overview of each new club as a way of welcoming them into the NorCal family.
Today we preview the final six clubs: Girls Leading Girls SOL, Greenhaven SC, Los Banos Valley SC, Scotts Valley/San Lorenzo Valley SC, Santa Cruz Mid County Youth SC, and RIPMC FC. For previews of the previous five, click here.
Girls Leading Girls SOL
Nearing its 10th year in existence, Girls Leading Girls SOL, strives to be a youth soccer club in which girls can find a safe space to enjoy the game they love while learning from positive, female role models.
The “SOL” in the club’s name stands for “See it, own it, lead it”, and that’s just what Girls Leading Girls is attempting to instill in each of their 21 teams.
In addition to those 21, Girls Leading Girls also runs multiple programs year-round throughout the Bay Area, including in San Francisco, Oakland, and Marin County. These include after school programs, summer camps, winter clinics, futsal, and junior coaching programs.
“Girls Leading Girls SOL values the growth of our players in both soccer and leadership and has a structure and path for girls to grow in both their playing and leading ability,” said Program Director Michelle Feinberg. “Our goal is to get girls in the game and guide them through rec, up to comp, travel, and post high school soccer as well as to develop them into coaches themselves.
“We have had players successfully travel through this journey, starting as recreational players, progressing to comp, and even becoming a paid coach after practicing in our Junior Coaches program,” she added. “Seeing players grow through this process is extremely rewarding and a huge success for the organization’s goals.”
Greenhaven SC
One of the largest and oldest clubs to join NorCal Premier, Greenhaven SC was founded all the way back in 1976 with the goal of providing the youth in the Sacramento area with an enriching and enjoyable recreational soccer experience on each of their roughly 75 teams that compete in the U6-U19 age groups.
With nearly 50 years of history, many participants in the club come to it because one or both of their parents also played there when they were growing up.
“At Greenhaven Soccer Club, we believe that as the game of soccer is learned, so are valuable life lessons including, but not limited to, how to be a good teammate, the value of every team member, how to handle winning and losing with equal grace and class, how to handle adversity, and how to resolve conflicts in an appropriate manner,” said President Beth Koster.
“We are honored by our acceptance as a full member club in NorCal Premier,” she added. “We are thrilled to be taking this next step in offering our members a complete range of soccer opportunities. We will continue to strive to provide the best possible experiences in our grassroots, recreational, and competitive soccer programs.”
Los Banos Valley SC
Based in Los Banos, eight teams from the Los Banos Valley Soccer League, which has been in operation since 2016, will join NorCal Premier Soccer this fall in order to provide more year-round soccer opportunities for local children.
“Our club philosophy is to work hard to win, yet sportsmanship is the priority,” said President Abel Villada. “We are thankful for the opportunity to be able to join NorCal Premier. We will compete, have fun, and be respectful.”
Scotts Valley/San Lorenzo Valley SC
Established all the way back in 1976, Scotts Valley/San Lorenzo Valley SC is the second of three new NorCal clubs in Santa Cruz County, with this one based in the mountains between Santa Cruz and San Jose.
Scotts Valley/San Lorenzo SC brings 16 new teams and roughly 600 players to NorCal Premier that will add to the quality and depth of competition in the local Region 2 leagues.
The volunteer-run organization serves players from the U6-U19 age groups while preaching development at a low cost for the participants.
“Our goal is to create a fun, positive learning environment and emphasize the core techniques needed for your child’s future success in the game,” a representative for the club said. “Coaches will be focused on providing the foundation for individual soccer skills such as dribbling, 1v1 moves, passing, shooting, and more.”
Santa Cruz Mid County Youth SC
For nearly 30 years, Santa Cruz Mid County Youth Soccer Club has provided soccer leagues and training for between 500-700 kids of all ages in the Santa Cruz area.
The goal for Santa Cruz Mid County has always been to provide access to the beautiful game at a low cost by being a completely volunteer-run organization.
“The MCYSC believes in community, inclusiveness, and recreation throughout soccer,” said Club Secretary Mike Willcox. “We are inspired by our youth but could not exist without the hundreds of hours our volunteers put into our organization and youth annually.”
RIPMC FC
Founded in 2020 out of Sanger, RIPMC FC have been playing under the Fresno-based Valley United since 2020 as part of the Region 7 program to develop clubs in smaller communities in the Central Valley. RIPMC FC will have more than 10 teams in the Region 7 leagues and provide much-needed access to NorCal competitions to the community of Sanger.
Respect, integrity, and achievement through academies are the core principles of this club, which is led by Jose Cantu. There is a strong sense of community at RIPMC FC, as they look to help provide opportunities to young footballers and inspire the next generation of Sanger student-athletes.
“RIPMC is focused on developing players and being part of a strong and competitive league, such as NorCal Premier, will give our players the opportunity to compete and learn from each other and local talent in a competitive environment while accelerating their growth and development,” Cantu said. “Our coaching staff is a great mixture of experienced local coaches along with younger coaches with experience playing at the next level.”
