San Juan Soccer Club Gets a New Home Field

RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - San Juan Soccer Club on Wednesday held a grand opening for their newly built three-field soccer complex in Rancho Cordova. The fields span over ten acres, allowing the club to run the many activities required for their 42 teams and 1000+ members without having to travel outside city limits. Sacramento has become the largest registered youth soccer city in the US, leading to an ever-increasing demand for quality fields in the area.

The complex was made possible in part due to the efforts of the four-man field committee the club put together, consisting of board members Ron Trengove, Jeff Rucker, Mike Liston, and Warren Holt. “We knew there was a need for a home,” said Trengove.

Just who has a home in the soccer world and who doesn’t has become a hot-button issue of late. With the surprising failure of the U.S. Men’s National team to qualify for the World Cup, many in U.S. Soccer have clamored for a better approach to youth development. This includes finding a fix for the pay-to-play model that has stunted the growth of soccer-loving kids in low-income houses.

Trengrove, who also serves as the club’s uniform and equipment coordinator, is very much aware of this issue. “We’re not immune to that. We’re part of the problem,” Trengove admits.  “I will say that what we do is provide a sort of elevated experience. More educated coaches, higher level of competition, national competitions, travel, deals, and exclusive relationships with big companies like Nike.”

From the club’s viewpoint, they are doing what they can as a nonprofit. “We do have a bit of a scholarship fund for those that find the finances challenging,” added Rucker. “We’re definitely not the least expensive option on the marketplace, but we feel that we have raised the bar for what we offer our members. People that know about us know that there is a difference, and they are willing to pay for that difference.”

A change is coming, says clubs president Warren Holt. “It’s a work in progress. It’s going to take another ten years. I think the failure of the men’s national team not qualifying for the World Cup made the federation try to bring everyone together a bit more. So I think everyone’s going to benefit from it.”

For those just starting with the club, the benefits are immediate. For high school senior Abigail Trengove, it’s bittersweet. “I’ve been in the club since I was six, and we haven’t had fields that whole time. Finally graduating and now just getting the fields is a bummer, but seeing the younger kids get to start fresh is cool.”

Underclassman Alexa Myers cited fewer potholes and better parking lots, locations, and practice times among the many things she’ll now enjoy. “We used to not get home until 10:30pm. They’d just book us in the latest practice slot because there weren’t enough fields for everyone.”

“It also wasn’t in a great location so we’d have to partner up going to the parking lot,” added Trengove.

So while it’s always nice to have your teammate’s backs, the players at San Juan are happy to only have to do that on their new, beautiful fields.

The field is located at 3151 Kilgore Rd, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670