Emerald City FC is the official premier soccer program of the Seattle Youth Soccer Association (SYSA). ECFC was formed in 1979 to bring select soccer to the youth of Seattle. Their mission was simple - to teach skills and develop players. What started out as a small venture has grown into a club with 30 teams, over 500 players, and many state championships under its belt.

We are a non-profit, “501c3” organization, with newly revised and updated by-laws, and a board of directors elected by the membership.

We are one of 15 soccer clubs within SYSA, but unlike the neighborhood based clubs, our players come from all over Seattle. Our players share a passion for the game, seek to improve their skills, and want to play at the highest possible level.

To help players achieve these goals, knowledgeable and highly skilled coaching is required. Our coaches are paid, licensed professionals, supervised by a full time coaching director. Most of our budget pays for the coaching staff, and the balance goes to field rentals, association fees, referees, tournament fees, etc. Only a very small percentage of the budget is used for administration. We rely on our membership to run our club – a true volunteer based organization.

There are scholarships available. Last year the club awarded a total of over $40,000 to dozens of players. Application forms are available on our website. For more information contact the club treasurer: treasurer@emeraldcityfc.org. 

ECFC programs run anywhere from 8 to 11 months of the year. Practice locations will vary, but nearly all families are able to set up regular car pools. Teams usually practice either Mon/Wed or Tue/Thu, and some teams supplement with a Friday or weekend practice.

At the team formation meetings, held shortly after player selections are made, a team schedule for the year will be planned. Typically, these calendars have some “soccer-free” time built in which include one month in the summer and the December school holidays. Coaches also understand family and other priorities and if your player needs to miss a week or two that can be accommodated.

In addition, we feel that it’s important that all young players have the opportunity to play other sports and/or participate in non-sporting activities. Soccer should be just one option in their lives. In short, we must allow kids to have a variety of experiences and let them decide.

That said, being a member of ECFC does require a certain COMMITMENT from both the player and family members whose volunteer contributions make this work. But the REWARDS can be considerable. Your player will develop great skills, develop a strong work ethic, form lasting friendships (for both the players and parents alike), and hopefully gain a life long passion for the game.

Among respondents in our most recent parent survey (December, 2005), 93% of our U11 and U12 members either agreed or strongly agreed that the total ECFC experience had been a POSITIVE EXPERIENCE for their child!

We understand that choosing premier soccer is a big decision for most families and we have put together an FAQ to answer the most common questions.

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If you are interested in knowing more about our club, or would like to be contacted about upcoming clinics for players or coaches, please email us.

• ECFC VP of Membership membershipvp@emeraldcityfc.org
• ECFC’s President, president@emeraldcityfc.org
• Joe Picciano, ECFC’s SYSA Commissioner joep@speakeasy.net

 

Select Soccer. Select Emerald City!

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