San Fernando Valley FC (UPSL)
When was the club founded and why?
San Fernando Valley FC was founded in2017, prior to that we had a youth club with Valley United SC. Many of our players at the time were about to age out of the youth club system so Carlos and I decided to form SFVFC as a way to continue playing at a higher level and in a competitive environment. Even during youth club, we always played up to higher age level so it would be more challenging for our players so forming SFVFC and joining the UPSL seemed like a natural progression for our team. Our goal was to develop local young talented players who couldn’t afford the pay to play system and more importantly showcase local players that had so much skill and talent but were not noticed by other bigger clubs. Our goal was to eventually create a system where player would not pay to play and we have finally achieved this goal when we registered SFVFC as a 501c3 tax exempt non-profit organization in February 2021 Who got it started? Carlos and I jointly decided to form SFVFC on our own with our own money. Our mission is to provide wider access to local players who committed to bettering themselves on and off the field. We have helped players get notice from nearby colleges and we want to help them achieve their goal of going to college through sports sports or sending them abroad for pro tryouts. There is a big market out there so we would love to help our players get that opportunity. We truly are a small grassroots organization supporting local players, we have been able to accomplish a lot with minimal funding. Our success has been achieved due to patience, determination, dedication and support from our Assistant coach Kyle Keenan and Sporting Director Geourgi Hristov who volunteer their time because they also believe in our mission. We couldn’t have done it without their help and also support of many others in the San Fernando Valley Community.
Tell us about your name, logo, and colors – why were they chosen and do they have any connection to the community?
Our logo is our interpretation and representation of the San Fernando Valley area. Colors and images reflect what the area is known for, valleys and the sun. We noticed that the San Fernando Valley area did not have an actual soccer team/club and most of our players are from the San Fernando Valley so it seemed fitting. Many of our players came from underprivileged backgrounds or had some hardships at home so we wanted to provide a safe healthy environment for them to thrive and have a shared focus. Most of our players now are from the area and have been with us since the inception and some even before that. We now have players from the greater Los Angeles area in addition to the Valley.
Does the club, or any of the players, volunteer in the community?
Yes, for a time Carlos, myself and a number of players were doing some volunteer work at a local church helping with their food pantry during the height of the pandemic when they needed help.
If not, and time was not an issue, what would you do to make the world a better place?
We would love to get more involved in some volunteer work at local senior homes or even hospitals as we would like be more involved in community outreach. This is something we have discussed a lot recently. We provide professional training and competitive play but we are also like a big family. Carlos and I provide support and help off the pitch if they need it.
What league do you play in and who is your rival?
We currently play in the Premier division of the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL). We don’t have a rival, we focus only on our game and how our team plays and make sure we do what we are supposed to at our best. We are looking forward to playing Cal United Strikers in the US Open Cup, it will be an exciting experience for us as a team.
How big of a draw is accessing the US Open Cup?
This experience has given us a wider audience and it’s been so great because people who didn’t know about us before are now getting a chance to see us play and compete. It’s been such a busy and crazy year for year us since Fall 2021 that it’s overwhelming how quickly everything transpired.
If you can’t qualify through your league, will you consider paying the qualification fees?
Not sure to be quite honest as participation does require a substantial financial commitment that we didn’t expect. We have been playing League since Sept 2021 and the Open Cup since Oct 2021 and had to get past 4 qualifying matches to reach the 1st round and now the 2nd. We have had an tough schedule with UPSL regular season games, UPSL playoffs. It’s been hard on our schedule as we have had to play league games throughout as well. We won our Fall 2021 Division I Socal North Regional Division as well as beating the Socal East & SoCal South Region Champs to earn the SoCal Western Conference Division I championship and promotion to Premier Division for Spring 2022. If we can get funding via sponsorships by local businesses or fund raise the money, we’d love to continue to play US Open every year.
Lastly, how can folks support you?
Come to our games, eventually purchase our merch and we’re looking for local businesses as sponsors for our team so we can continue to represent the San Fernando Valley as well as the greater Los Angeles area.
We currently have hats for now but we are in discussion to manufacture additional SFVFC merchandise in the near future. We would love and welcome people to our match on April 7th. Since we will be the away team, we welcome all the support for our community on game day!
Check out San Fernando Valley FC on their Facebook HERE
Check out their website HERE
