TACOMA, Wash. - The North Tacoma Soccer Club has more than doubled in size over the past five years, hosting more than 50 teams across genders and age groups. With the World Cup in town, it’s already inspiring more excitement around the club and the sport.
“The World Cup is always fun because it always increases everybody’s interest in soccer.” Joseph Mathias, a coach for the North Tacoma Soccer Club’s Sparta Tacoma U17 team.
Now, club leaders question the accessibility of US soccer as they look ahead to future US national teams.
Masias’s squad won their age group’s national championship in Tacoma this year, an underdog-level feat for a community-based club against other clubs that have national reach and financial resources, says the Club’s Board President Mary Anderson.
“We’re showing that community clubs can produce talent,” Anderson said.
“I kind of like to say we’re the small club with big talent, and we keep working to. Make sure these kids have the opportunity to be seen and to be able to compete.”
Where some clubs can charge up to $15, 000, North Tacoma charges under $2,000 and provides financial aid for players who need it, though they don’t have the ability to raise enough money to give it to all the players they would like.
The pay-to-play system is not the standard in some countries the United States competes against.
“FIFA’s got things in place where money from professional players with their contracts trickles down to those original clubs. You see it a lot in Europe. It’s a little bit harder for that trickle effect to happen in the U.S,” Masias said. “Sometimes it gets a little difficult and a little muddy to figure out which club. Should have that compensation.”
Neither wants to wait for the funding format in Soccer to change, so in the meantime, they hope for more support from the community to help fill the gap and spread access.
“There’s got to be belief from the communities in the support of those programs, however it spins out. And if you wanted to say, well, should a professional team be supporting the local community teams? Should the local bank be supporting the local community teams? Yes, they all should. That’s where your kids play.” Mathias said.