Real Futbol Club Offers a Soccer Alternative
Already paying for his 12-year-old daughter’s club soccer fees, Bob Jacobson of Mission Viejo worried that he couldn’t afford additional fees for his 10-year-old son.
His fears have been put to rest.
Jacobson’s son, Randy, is one of a growing number of children playing for Real Futbol Club, which offers free club soccer for boys ages 8-12 in the competitive Coast Soccer League.
In its second year, the corporate-sponsored Real FC--formerly known as the Crows--offers an alternative to traditionally high-priced club teams. Real FC, which has grown from one team to six, provides its players with free uniforms, equipment and coaching.
“The prices [for other club teams] are too high,” said David Zimmerman, Real FC’s founder and director. “A lot of kids get priced out.”
Said Bob Jacobson: “The majority of the kids who play on the club teams come from wealthy backgrounds. The child who doesn’t have the parents who can afford it, can swing the $1,000 a year for soccer, are left out. And some of the better players are left out of the competition.”
Real FC also offers something else many other clubs cannot--professional coaches such as Martin Lippens, assistant coach and player for the Orange County Waves of the A-League.
Zimmerman, who once played professionally overseas and in the North American Soccer League, said his organization has designs for growth. Real FC hopes to add girls’ teams, and an outdoor soccer complex and clubhouse are in the works.
“We’re trying to get back to the traditional values of sports,” Zimmerman said. “We’re out there for the love of the game; we’re there for the kids.”
Real FC, which begins play in September, does not cut kids because of talent level, Zimmerman said. But the teams are still competitive enough to draw players such as promising Edgar Rodriguez, 11, who also plays in the Mexican League and whose father, Preciliano, could afford to pay regular club fees.
“I told [Zimmerman] I was looking for a good team for my son because I would like to help him [get looks] from professional teams,” Preciliano said.
For more information, call (949) 642-2331 or log onto https://www.realfc.org
