Rival leagues merge

The evening of Thursday March 6 was a landmark moment for Sonoma Valley soccer. The board of Sonoma United Football Club voted unanimously to accept a merger with Sonoma Valley Youth Soccer Association. Anyone present last spring when the long-established SVYSA board unanimously rejected the new club Sonoma United’s request for official recognition would have shared the euphoria that night as representatives of the two soccer organizations worked out final parts of the merger agreement. Salvador Chávez, SUFC board member and coach, summed it up, saying, “The great thing is that we have trust. We trust each other to do the best for the kids.”
In its one year of existence, Sonoma United Football Club has changed the face of soccer in Sonoma Valley. The upstart club was formed to offer more opportunities for competitive soccer to local youth, and to ensure that those opportunities came equally to Latino players. The new club also brought a concept of collaborative coaching to the Valley. Jim Van Sickle, one of SVYSA’s Select Team coordinators, said, “Sonoma United really forced us (SVYSA) to look at ourselves, to reevaluate. We realized that we had to raise the bar.” Vikki Griggs-Demmin, SUFC Board member who was recently elected to the SVYSA Board, and whose efforts contributed greatly to the merger, stated that the Select Committee has undertaken work that “has never been done before in the Valley.”
So what does this mean for our 1200+ local soccer players? How has competitive soccer changed in the Valley? This year there will be a Division 3 team, single age, boys and girls, for every level from under-10 through under-16. One very important change, which facilitated the merger of the teams, is that any of these teams that are successful in League play may play Division 1 starting in November. Also, SVYSA stated its commitment to make competitive soccer available to all players who qualify, even if the family cannot afford the cost.
Sam Honey, board president, affirmed the merger as a huge step forward for the Sonoma Valley Youth Soccer Association. Discussing the comprehensive competitive program being launched this year, Honey said, “The reason we are here now is that we saw what Sonoma United did.” The newly invigorated SVYSA is conducting tryouts Saturday and Sunday March 15 and 16 for U-10 through U-14. Please call 256-0544 or go to sonomasoccer.org for details.
SUFC coach and Board president Danny Jiménez, who will be coaching the U14 boys this year, spoke passionately about his commitment to all the players in the Valley. Jiménez envisions a Sonoma where all the fields are always in use, with kids of all ages playing pick-up games whenever the fields are free. Jiménez also plans to continue his successful Saturday clinics for anyone who wants to play. These give the opportunity for older players to share their skills with younger players – “a chance for kids, playing without someone coaching them, to make mistakes and learn for themselves.”