= Location: Washington, D.C.
= History: Formed in 1977 by neighbors near the Stoddert Recreation Center; travel program initiated in 1985.
= Championships: Virginia state cup winners: U-15 DC United (2001); U-11 DC Strikers (1996).
= Most famous players: Judah Cooks, Micah Cooks, Erwin Diaz.
= Number of players: 5,300.
= Number of teams: 354 open division; 30 travel teams (11 girls, 19 coed).
= Number of coaches: 450 open coaches, 16 developmental coaches, 30 travel coaches.
= Cost to play: Open – $65 per season; travel – $800-$1,000 per year.
= Coaching salaries: Open – $50 per hour; travel and developmental: $5,000-$9,000 per year.
= Innovations: “DC Scores” (inner-city writing-soccer program); participation in the new Virginia-DC Soccer Hall of Fame.
= Facilities: Local recreation-center fields, high school and college fields.
= Club philosophy: “Have fun, learn skills, everyone plays, stay in the game, and revel in our soccer culture.”
= 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.”
= Biggest challenges: Fields; inspiring inner-city youngsters to play; media recognition.
= Club’s most recent controversies: Balancing open play with travel play; training and retention of referees; going to smaller-sided games through U-12.
= Biggest rivals: Montgomery Soccer Inc.; Bethesda Soccer travel teams.
= Sponsors: Diadora, D.C. United (MLS), Washington Freedom (WUSA).
= Fund raising: Parent contributions for fields and scholarships for inner-city players.
= 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