A twenty year peek into the future for FC Samoa...
Geography
There is one “Turf-Stadium” field; there are 3 other game fields, and 4 smaller practice fields. The Stadium and the 4-square practice areas are floodlighted. In addition, there is an Indoor Facility suitable for 6 on 6, (it also converts to a 6-court Basketball complex for 3 on 3 tournaments which have become very popular). Attached is a state-of-the-art gymnasium/fitness centre. There is a club Bistro-restaurant which has a (separate)“day care” and Sports-TV lounge where 40 people or more can come to watch a World Cup game or similar (or just sip a beverage and view their own children playing Indoor Soccer!). A small hotel and a modern RV facility provide out-of-town sports families with very convenient overnight accommodation.
Samoa is a thriving and progressive town of around 1200 inhabitants. The soccer complex is one of the hubs of the community. The school (Peninsula) has reinvented itself as a technologically advanced centre for k-8 Education. There is even a small Charter school which tracks students in grades 7-12 with a “magnet” program for careers in Sports/Kinesiology/Coaching etc. HSU provides some of the instruction for both schools as part of a partnership.
The town of Samoa has managed to retain much of its historic charm. Guests arriving from out of town for a soccer event can stay in one of three refurbished Victorian mini-mansions, and the Samoa Cookhouse, just across the street from the Sports complex does a thriving trade, particularly when FC Samoa is hosting an event, or a Basketball Jamboree is in town.
The Soccer Club.
FC Samoa (FCS) fields 4 Girls and 4 Boys Developmental Teams (u-10 u-12 U-14 u-16). The club maintains a U-18 “premier” team for both Boys and girls. A total of 250 players participate in year-round FCS membership. Almost all of these players will be products of the year-round Academy training system, which offers high-quality training in soccer-specific Conditioning/Injury Prehab techniques, technical-tactical curriculum for each age – group, and even basic courses in Sports psychology and College application assistance for teenagers
There is also a “semi-pro” Men’s and Women’s Franchise which plays in the Pacific Coast League (3rd Division down from MLS). The relationship with HSU soccer is extremely strong: HSU sends Coaches to “mentor” in the FCS Academy, and many HSU Alumnae are found on the Semi-pro rosters. In addition from 6-8 FCS “graduates” each year go on to represent HSU.
Outreach:
FC Samoa assists the (three) local D4 –d3 Soccer Clubs wherever possible, offering Coach Training and Mentoring, skills clinics, specialty training (such as Goalkeeper school) and multi-level support and education for the “mom and pop” Coaches.
FCS maintains strong 2-way communication with these (three) soccer clubs: Mad River (about 2000 players) Fortuna-Eel River (about 2500 players) and Eureka (1000 players): at each quarterly Board meeting of FCS, the Clubs are invited to submit responses to the question: “What is working? What needs improving?”
FC Samoa is fortunate to have access to cutting edge Kinesiology expertise from HSU. FCS players regularly are exposed to the latest in Sports Conditioning and Sports Nutrition (for example). There is also a steady pipeline of Coaches and Teacher-Coaches who come through the HSU graduate programs, and FCS provides paid internships for these entry-level professional Coaches. Using some concurrent enrollment classes and online learning segments from the National coaching schools, and the internship process, a certificate in Teacher-Coaching can be obtained. This certificate differs in both breadth and depth from the more traditional “one week residential" Coach licensing courses:
- The higher academic content through completing Sports Science/KINS courses at HSU.
- The hands on mentoring and ongoing monitoring of Coaches who work in the FCS program.
- The total number of hours of immersion is 500 hours (as compared to a 2 week Residential Coaching Course where the reality is closer to 100 hours or less).
Outreach/Scholarship: FCS is committed to make quality soccer affordable for all families. FCS has worked closely with the Latino community (especially through generous support from El Heraldo and Sun Valley Floral Farms) to create a sports-athletics foundation to assist qualifying students (at an early age) to stay in school, aim high academically, and use soccer participation as a springboard to a College education.
Students from Peninsula School, the FCS Charter School, and Fortuna High School have been among the most numerous recipients of the scholarships which average $10000 per award. FC Samoa includes non-voting adjunct Board membership from a number of educational and philanthropic organizations.