Soylular Steps Down as Laguna Beach Volleyball Coach

Laguna Beach boys’ volleyball Coach Michael Soylular coached his last match Monday for the Artists against Capistrano Valley after resigning because of a rule infraction. Laguna Beach Principal Barbara Callard also named an interim coach, James Felton.

Soylular resigned last week after Callard found that his involvement with the private Laguna Beach Volleyball Club violated a Southern Section rule.

The rule, which only exists in the Southern Section, prohibits a member of a school’s athletic staff from coaching an outside team during the school year on which students with remaining eligibility at the school are participating. As many as seven girls who play for the Laguna Beach Volleyball Club have eligibility remaining at the school.

It was the third time in four years Soylular has been found guilty of violating a section rule.

“This is not a first-time violation and because of the situation, it was determined that we should make a coaching change,” Callard said. “Michael volunteered to step down because he didn’t want any further problems that might impact the program or the student-athletes in a negative way.”

Callard consulted with Southern Section Assistant Commissioner Karen Hellyer March 25 and they determined that Soylular was in violation of the section’s rule even though he coaches boys at the school and girls at the club.

“This is it. The fat lady is singing,” said Soylular, who was in his sixth season with the Laguna Beach boys.

Soylular resigned as the school’s girls’ coach last year after four seasons in an effort to come into compliance with the rule, but it wasn’t enough.

“I really thought that because the rule is so bogus and [such] nonsense, I thought some people would stand up for me,” he said.

The Southern Section is the only section in the state that restricts association between players and coaches outside their season of sport during the school year. Other sections have similar rules, but none is as restrictive as the Southern Section’s.

“Our board looked at that a couple years ago and backed right away from it,” said Peter Saco, commissioner of the Sac-Joaquin Section. “They just feel that it is impossible to control.”

Callard said she would ask the Pacific Coast League principals on April 22 to recommend the Southern Section Council reconsider the rule.

“I would imagine that we’ll be requesting [the rule] be evaluated [by the Southern Section Council], particularly if the other sections do not have that rule,” Callard said.

The earliest the rule could be voted on is at the council’s first meeting of the 1996-97 academic year on Oct. 17.

In the meantime, Soylular said he will continue to coach the Laguna Beach Volleyball Club and has no plans to return to the high school.

Felton currently is the assistant men’s coach at UC Irvine. He ranks second in the Anteaters’ records with 542 digs in his career from 1989-92.