Brits seem to be everywhere in LA and heavily represented in Santa Monica in particular. So it’s no surprise that three English guys are making a big impact on the Westside soccer community.
FC England is a non-profit youth soccer club which was launched in 2016 by Coventry-born Paul Spacey and Ricky Collett, from Manchester, both of whom have lived on the Westside for a number of years. They were joined last year by Nic Heffernan, who hails from Brighton. Together they have been slowly growing and making a name for themselves with their unique approach to connecting with and coaching budding young soccer players.
There are plenty of clubs on the Westside and hundreds all around LA, so it has not been without its challenges. Paul, who is the Director of Coaching, explained, “Ricky and I had the idea back in 2015 to start our own club as we felt we could offer something different than what was already available. It was a long process getting it all started and we certainly had some opposition but in the end we had enough parental and wider-community support to get the project off the ground.”
The club now has eight teams, having just launched a new boys 2007 team to add to their boys and girls’ teams for 2003, 2004 and 2005 players, along with an additional boys 2006 team. With around 120 players and 200+ parents involved, it is a full-time role for all three coaches. They operate a unique ‘rotation’ system which allows them all to essentially coach every single player and spend time with all eight teams.
Paul points out, “We are the only club in LA to have a rotational approach and this is hugely beneficial for the players as they are getting input and direction from three coaches, not just one. Fortunately, we all have a similar background and philosophy so we are on the same page and give a consistent message to the players which is very important.”
FCE has adopted a different approach in terms of how they look at the development of players and the records of teams, something which is a big issue in US youth sports. Ricky, who is the Technical Director, talks openly about their approach, “Winning isn’t our priority and to be honest that is difficult for us to explain to some people. The big ‘W’ is part of the culture of youth sports here but we are trying to shift the emphasis to learning, engagement and the development of people, rather than focusing on the short-term goal of winning games. Every kid naturally wants to win and that’s fine, we embrace that, but winning will never be our focus. The result of any game is just a piece of data; we focus on the process and the things we can control rather than worrying about the end result and this is something the kids benefit from, no doubt about it.”
The other thing that sets the club apart is the coaches’ approach to connecting with every player. The words ‘love’ and ‘care’ are not typically associated with youth sports, especially in the current climate but Head Coach Nic feels it has been a vital factor in establishing the club’s good reputation in a relatively short amount of time, “There is a genuine love and care for every kid at the club and I know that is not the normal approach for a sports coach. Usually, the emphasis is on technical coaching and what you know about the game but we don’t have to worry about that as frankly, we all have a background and experience in the game to rival any coach in LA. Our ability to impart our knowledge in a way that engages, inspires and motivates young people is really what sets us apart; times have changed and we need to move away from the traditional coaching dark ages.”
The club is extremely grateful to the local community and to parents in particular as they have provided donations since the inception of the teams which has allowed FC England to offer scholarships to players from families who are unable to afford club soccer. This has given them the ability to take on many players who otherwise wouldn’t be able to play for a club and it is something they are clearly proud of.
Paul said: “We are so fortunate to have generous parents and benefactors who provide funds to cover the cost of scholarships for a large number of players and we are also lucky to have parents like Ashley Ryf and Sonia Van Cott who do a lot of work behind the scenes to help run the club. It feels good being able to give kids the chance to play and not have to worry about the cost of uniforms, games or anything else.”
For more information about the club or to register your son or daughter for a tryout, contact Paul on (310) 401-7166 or email paul@fcengland.com. More details on the club can also be found on the website www.fcengland.com.
