August 3, 2020
Our club spotlight this week is on Alliance Soccer Club! We discussed with Alliance's President, Amber Topovich, what it is like to be a part of the Alliance soccer community.
What makes your club unique?
Alliance Soccer Club is located in Frederick, primarily playing at LOUYAA Park. We strive to stay a small club, so we can truly focus on our players and fulfill their dreams of playing in college and even at the professional level. We need to stay small to focus on those individuals.
We have over 180 players on the travel side and strive to have at least one team per age group. Also, we offer recreational programs at U9-U15 and academy programs at the U4-U8 level.
Why should players play for Alliance?
Our focus is on our players, every penny that is brought in goes to the players’ development. We have been successful with that method.
Interesting bits of history?
Alliance was formed in 2011 and is the youngest club in the area. We initially were combined with Damascus, who branched off, and Frederick Soccer Club who don’t exist anymore. Our previous club president saw the need for players to have a challenging environment. We are very proud of our club name and neon green colors.
Unique stories?
We have the Warrior Hearts Initiative which is our community outreach program. We want our players to become vital members of the community. We have helped clean out churches and make room for the homeless, as well as conducted clothes drives, coat drives, and cleaned up trash in parks.
We also host a Trick or Treat event for our families and a huge Easter egg hunt for our academy kids and younger recreational players. We are a club that is focused on community!
Notable teams/players?
Our 98 Girls team had 6 players play for college teams. The founder of the club’s daughter plays in Europe. Our 05 Warrior Boys are currently ranked 11th in the state and our 03 boys are ranked 13th. Two years ago, the 05 Warrior Boys traveled to play teams in Spain and France. Next summer, our 04 Girls and 05 Warrior Boys will be heading to Croatia and Italy.
Last year, 5 of our freshmen played varsity, with 3 appearing regularly on the scoresheet.
How have you supported your players and families during the pandemic?
We have offered full refunds to families. We know people are going through financial hardships. For the upcoming season, we will have payment plans and scholarships. Many players who got refunds still signed back up for the fall.
What opportunities do you provide for your coaches and players to continually develop?
We offer reimbursement for coaching education courses and training. All but two of our coaches have ‘D’ Licenses and all of our recreational coaches have grassroots certifications. We are huge advocates of parent volunteers attaining licenses and doing internships with the club before they take over teams. We’ve also had multiple alumni that have played at the college level come back to coach with us.
What does the future look like for Alliance?
We strive to have at least one team for every age group, however, that might not be possible in the current climate. We may have to combine some age groups for the fall, but in an ideal world, we want to have one girl and boy team for every age group.