ò Location: Washington, D.C.
ò History: Formed in 1977 by neighbors near the Stoddert Recreation Center; travel program initiated in 1985.
ò Championships: Virginia state cup winners: U-15 DC United (2001); U-11 DC Strikers (1996).
ò Most famous players: Judah Cooks, Micah Cooks, Erwin Diaz.
ò Number of players: 5,300.
ò Number of teams: 354 open division; 30 travel teams (11 girls, 19 coed).
ò Number of coaches: 450 open coaches, 16 developmental coaches, 30 travel coaches.
ò Cost to play: Open – $65 per season; travel – $800-$1,000 per year.
ò Coaching salaries: Open – $50 per hour; travel and developmental: $5,000-$9,000 per year.
ò Innovations: "DC Scores" (inner-city writing-soccer program); participation in the new Virginia-DC Soccer Hall of Fame.
ò Facilities: Local recreation-center fields, high school and college fields.
ò Club philosophy: "Have fun, learn skills, everyone plays, stay in the game, and revel in our soccer culture."
ò Club's biggest strengths: "Our location in the nation's capital; the vast pool and diversity of our players (both American and foreign-born); the strength and professional acumen of our volunteers; our strong cadre of qualified coaches."
ò Biggest challenges: Fields; inspiring inner-city youngsters to play; media recognition.
ò Club's most recent controversies: Balancing open play with travel play; training and retention of referees; going to smaller-sided games through U-12.
ò Biggest rivals: Montgomery Soccer Inc.; Bethesda Soccer travel teams.
ò Sponsors: Diadora, D.C. United (MLS), Washington Freedom (WUSA).
ò Fund raising: Parent contributions for fields and scholarships for inner-city players.
ò Contact information: Andrew Sutton, executive director. E-mail: dcsslexecdir@yahoo.com; Web site: www.stoddert.com.
(Interview with Len Oliver, director of coaching)
by Soccer America Youth Soccer Letter Executive Editor Dan Woog
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