Six New Clubs Join NorCal Premier Soccer
With six new clubs coming into the fold, NorCal Premier Soccer is pleased to announce the latest round of expansion of entities into Northern California’s top youth soccer organization.
Joining NorCal Premier are Cupertino FC, East Bay Eclipse, Fremont Rush, Fruitridge SC, JASA RWC, and Mission Youth Soccer League.
“We would like to welcome the new clubs into NorCal Premier Soccer for the upcoming season,” said NorCal President Benjamin Ziemer. “We believe soccer clubs are the best vehicle for providing a safe, enjoyable, supportive soccer environment for young players to play soccer.”
“In addition, we believe that more clubs means more players, more teams, less travel, more football being played, and more enjoyment of the world’s game,” Ziemer added. “Good luck to all the new clubs joining us!”
Cupertino FC
Bringing 12 new boys teams to the NorCal family is Cupertino FC, which was founded back in 2016 and has been making waves locally ever since.
Cupertino FC features the local flare of native coach and Technical Director Bob Joyce, who has been coaching in the city for roughly four decades and helped found fellow NorCal club De Anza Force.
“His influence places a high focus on quality physical and skills training from the very youngest ages up,” said Cupertino FC Director of Coaching Pancho Tzankov. “Additionally, we have developed very nice relationships with other NorCal clubs.”
“We have promoted several players to play in colleges and international academies,” Tzakov added. “But we are proud that most of the players have become good human beings who are willing to come and help coaching whenever they have time, even after finishing high school.”
East Bay Eclipse
East Bay Eclipse joins NorCal Premier Soccer with 29 boys and girls teams in addition to a Future Eclipse Program that facilitates the needs for the local players from the U6-U8 age range.
Based in Moraga, Eclipse has served the local community since its founding back in 2010, with the first teams playing games in 2011.
“We take our motto of ‘Developing Players, Developing People’ very seriously in that we see soccer as the vehicle to grow the kids under our care as complete people,” said East Bay Eclipse Founder and Executive Director Shane Carney. “The way our club is run and the way our staff engages the players has the ability to greatly impact the overall development of each child as a player and a person, so we want to ensure we are providing a positive environment at all times for that growth to occur.”
“We often hear we have the reputation as ‘the fun club’ from outsiders, which we love to hear,” Carney added. “We incorporate the concept of play and having fun throughout the club and want the kids to enjoy being at soccer. We also are very big on balance and actively encourage our players to participate in multiple sports and activities. We want Eclipse and soccer to be a positive part of their life, but we don’t want them to ever feel like it has to be all of their life or their full identity as a person.”
Fremont Rush
Emerging in 2019, Fremont Rush is an affiliate with Rush Soccer, a nationally recognized soccer organization founded in Colorado but currently based in New York.
Fremont Rush boasts a total of 24 competitive teams in the boys and girls divisions, with an additional 400 recreation players to boot.
At Fremont Rush, we believe that our players’ success on the field is not just determined by their skills and abilities but also by their character and values,” said Fremont Rush General Manager Zee Kerawala. “Our core values of accountability, advice, empathy, enjoyment, humility, leadership, passion, respect, safety, tenacity, and unity are the foundation of our club culture.”
“We want our players to embody these values not just during practices and games but in their daily lives as well,” Kerawala added. “That’s why we have developed a club protocol to proactively incorporate these values into our coaching and training methods. This protocol is designed to help our players develop strong character and leadership skills that will benefit them not only on the field but also in their personal and professional lives. By promoting these values, we can create a positive and supportive environment that helps players develop both as athletes and as individuals.”
Fruitridge SC
Fruitridge SC was started over 35 years ago as a way to provide a community-focused, family-friendly soccer for the residents of South Sacramento.
And starting next year, the club’s 25 teams will participate in NorCal Premier Soccer leagues, adding to the growing list of top NorCal clubs in Sacramento.
“We will provide opportunities for all players, from recreational to competitive, to achieve their own personal goals in a fun environment that promotes teamwork, sportsmanship, and mutual respect,” said Fruitridge SC President Olga Gonzalez. “All youth will be accepted into Fruitridge SC programs without regards to their financial status – our goal is to provide affordable play for everyone.”
“We are excited to see what the future holds for us,” Gonzalez added.
JASA RWC
Originally founded as an adult men’s team in 1999, Redwood City-based JASA RWC expanded to include a women’s team in 2016 before getting involved in the youth development system in 2019.
Since then, the club has expanded to include more than 20 teams on the boys and girls side while continuing to run its adult first teams.
“We are getting very close to reaching our goals of connecting the dots from youth to adults,” said JASA RWC’s Jacob Morrison. “Our goal is to be a cradle to the grave club and we are working very hard to make sure we will be around for our vision to come full circle.”
“We are excited to be joining NorCal Premier and to be a part of the network of competitions, coaching education, referee support, and development, and above all an organization that will continue to support our growth as a club and our members,” Morrison added.
Mission Youth Soccer League
Mission Youth Soccer League was established all the way back in 1992 in San Francisco, but will join the fold in NorCal Premier Soccer this next season.
Originally founded with the goal of keeping youth players off of the streets and in schools, the volunteer-run program has now expanded to include 25 teams this year, up from nine just a few years prior.
“We strive to provide community-focused, family-friendly soccer programs that deliver technical, tactical, and positional awareness for recreational players and competitive players at the most cost-effective price,” said MYSL’s Rodrigo Herandez. “We are instilling the core values of leadership, teamwork, responsibility and accountability into our players in an environment where mistakes help us learn.”
“We are excited to become a member of NorCal as we know it will help with the development of our competitive teams,” Hernandez added. “We know that the clubs in the city have done a good job in growing the game in the city of San Francisco and we look forward to collaborating with them to ensure that youth soccer continues to thrive in San Francisco.”
