On the first anniversary of its founding, City Football Club (“City F.C.”) is proud to announce that it is merging with DC Stoddert Soccer League, Inc.
City F.C. is joining DC Stoddert Soccer, the city’s premier provider of youth soccer opportunities.
With more than 30 years’ experience providing organized teams and supervised games for local girls and boys, DC Stoddert is the Washington area’s premier youth soccer club. DC Stoddert is widely-recognized as the leading provider of youth soccer opportunities in the District, currently reaching 5,000 kids playing on 400 teams.
City F.C.’s brings to DC Stoddert City F.C.’s success involving children from every ward of the District in competitive soccer with first-rate coaching, combined with academic tutoring and help with applying to college.
City F.C. organized its first soccer clinic in November 2007 and one year later, the program is thriving with participation by student-athletes from areas of the District where that have been under-represented in club soccer. City F.C.’s under-19 boys team just completed its second season in the MSI “Classic” league, and a girls’ program is kicking off this month. On the academic front, the program’s mentors and tutors are actively working with seniors in the final stretch of the college application process, and a workshop was recently held at the Maret School in Washington. Shelley Brody, Maret’s college counselor, worked one-on-one with City F.C.’s students to discuss their college opportunities.
City F.C.’s partnership with DC Stoddert enables the group to support’s DC Stoddert’s efforts to give children in every ward of the District a chance to play for a competitive soccer team and receive first-rate coaching.
As an official program within DC Stoddert, City F.C. will also be able to fundraise under the umbrella of DC Stoddert’s 501 (3) C Status. Funds raised will go directly towards City F.C.’s programming, and as an official subsidiary of DC Stoddert, City F.C. will now acquire non-profit status so that donations to support its programs will be tax-exempt.
“We’re extremely excited about this partnership,” says City F.C. co-founder Dan Driscoll, who started the program in November 2007 with boyhood teammate Roy Kelly. “For the past year, we’ve operated as a loose entity of volunteers carrying out a common mission. Now, as we head into the new year, City F.C. will be part of DC Stoddert Soccer – the same club that gave me my first uniform 20 years ago. With non-profit status, City F.C. will now be able to attract significant donations, which will enhance our capacity to provide the best possible environment for our student-athletes to excel in both sports and academics.”
DC Stoddert’s in-coming Board Chair David Sarley echoes Driscoll’s enthusiasm: “We are very excited at DC Stoddert to take City F.C. under our wing, as not only do they help expand the reach of soccer opportunities across the city, but they add a new dimension to the club in diversifying our volunteer base to tap younger professionals in the community who have a love for the game and energy and ideas to launch new programs for D.C. youth. In fact, City F.C. allow us to add the first-ever former Stoddert player in Dan Driscoll to the club’s Board.”
City F.C.’s partnership with DC Stoddert Soccer became official following unanimous approval by DC Stoddert’s board of directors on Dec. 10, at which Driscoll was also elected to DC Stoddert’s Board of Directors as City F.C’s voting member.
“I am very fortunate to coach the amazing kids of this city,” says Driscoll, who — in addition to his work with City F.C. — coaches the School Without Walls boys’ varsity team with Kelly, as well as Stoddert travel and rec teams. “To now serve on Stoddert’s Board is a great honor and an important responsibility, and I am looking forward to supporting DC Stoddert and City F.C. in this capacity.”
City Football Club (“City F.C.”), a program of DC Stoddert Soccer, was established in 2007 to provide District youth with a program combining competitive soccer and first-rate mentorship and college preparation. City F.C. is organized exclusively for charitable purposes as an educational non-profit. Its objective is to bring together the City’s youth for educational and recreational opportunities, including but not limited to soccer.
