U12 boys soccer club recommendations for east bay
Hi! We just moved back to the inner east bay from the outer east bay and are looking for a new soccer home for our eleven year old son. He has played competitive club soccer for the last three years. We are looking for some diversity and an organization that is both fun and competitive. Went to a Bay Oaks try out practice the other night and were surprised that there was no diversity in this age group as well as a really cranky coach so we are looking for other recommendations. Thank you so much!
May 12, 2021
Parent Replies
Unfortunately, the lag time between your post and publication may mean that you have missed the try-out window.
In general, club soccer is not as racially diverse as it should be because the fees are so high (we are a Latinx family). My kids play on the Mavericks and have been very happy on their teams with excellent coaching staff, but Mavericks tryouts for this age group I believe are wrapping up the week of May 17 so you probably will not get this message in time. My understanding is the Spurs held tryouts on the same timeline. I have no experience with that club but have heard good things.
I'm eager to see what responses you get, but I think you will be hard pressed to find much diversity in any club in the inner east bay. (I'm assuming when you say "diversity," you are referring to racial diversity.) I have one kid who plays Bay Oaks, another who is on an EBU rec team - this is our 7th year with the club. What I have seen among all the clubs we have played during that time is... teams are usually mostly white, with a few players of other races. Occasionally, we encounter teams that are 100% Latinx (e.g., Oakland Soccer Club). Very rarely, we encounter a team that looks truly racially integrated. This is almost always a rec team. I'm struggling to think of a competitive team that has looked racially diverse.
I will say that over the last 2-ish years, EBU has made an effort to improve diversity. They started holding info meetings in East Oakland; they send out communications in both English and Spanish; I keep seeing EBU/Bay Oaks flyers around non-white neighborhoods; they've been actively fundraising to pay for financial aid and have done much more visible outreach about it. I believe the funds they've received from the soda tax have helped with this. Maybe other clubs are doing this as well? But honestly, I'm not seeing much of that reflected yet on the fields where my kids play. Montclair and Piedmont are, if anything, whiter than EBU. Maybe look at Alameda Soccer Club? Good luck.
Take a look at Mavericks. Historically, they've had some excellent coaches, diversity (including fee discounts if needed), and competitive teams. The fun-level generally depends on the individual coach's attitude about training and competing.
https://www.maverickssoccer.com/
Apologies this may be coming too late as competitive tryouts ended last week (unless your son was born in 2009 - in which case check out AFC's tryouts this week) but we are huge fans of Montclair Soccer Club. My daughter has played competitive soccer with Montclair Clippers from their U8 program on and MSC rec soccer before then. We've been with the club for six years or so, and diversity is alive and well on our team and the club generally. Good luck.
You can also try Spurs, the Maverick, ABC or Pumitas
This are the that I know
Good luck!