Spurs FC
- Spurs FC was previously El Cerrito Futbol Club (ECFC) and Tottenham Hotspur East Bay
Editor note: In 2023, Spurs and Mavericks combined to form a new club: Eastshore Alliance Fútbol Club
Our experience with the Spurs rec program has been excellent. Our daughter plays on a 2008-2009 girls team (now U14). The rec opportunities at this age narrow; some players move over to comp while others find that competing demands of middle school and outside activities make it difficult to keep doing soccer. So the rec option with Spurs has been important for our family. Two 90 min practices a week and one local game on the weekend is a more doable schedule than the 3x weekly and travel game/tournament schedule in comp. Our team has a fairly good skill level, so the players can keep developing in a way that keep their options open for future comp or high school play. The Spurs FC staff is well organized and always responsive. Overall, this has been a great option. Also: with 11x11 game play post-pandemic our team has a couple of spots opening up. I think that even if it looks like rec registration is closed parents can probably contact the league if they have a 2008-2009 U14-G player with soccer experience who wants to play this fall.
My daughter joined a Spurs competitive team during Covid summer 2020 after a few years on a rec. team in another local Albany / Berkeley soccer club. Her experience has been phenomenal and we wish we would have made the change sooner. She's had all female coaches to date, Mary, Sam, & Gina, who have helped her progress with her skills and mental game while creating a supportive and suitably challenging environment she has thrived in. The league organization and communication is impressive and they prioritized health and safety throughout the pandemic while doing all that they could to keep the kids on the field. The experiences at games have been similarly supportive and my daughter has not seen anything even bordering on poor sportsmanship or negative behaviors and we are pleased that the make-up of her team and club reflects our diverse community. (Written by a mom who never thought she would have a competitive player, it was just all we could find!)
We have three kids who play on Spurs comp teams. The coaches are the best part of Spurs. The Club has undergone huge changes over the past year to be more communicative and inclusive and our experience has been great.
I can honestly say I don't know who the poster below is referring to with respect to Spurs coaches. I don't deny their experiences...but I do not share them. We have been with Spurs since our child started in their Lil Spurs program at 2.5 years old. We have had nothing but healthy, positive, fun, enriching experiences with the club. Honestly.
In a more general sense, ABSC is known in the area for being the more "rec"-oriented league, and the least organized. That's not a bash because they do what they do and it provides a great service but they are not the "comp" club of choice.
Mersey is small and their level of play frankly doesn't hold up with clubs like Spurs as the kids get older.
Bay Oaks / East Bay United is another good comp program to consider. They're in Alameda so it's a bit more of a hike, but they are sound.
But there's nothing the matter with Spurs for a solid comp experience.
Suerte!
We had a terrible experience with the Spurs in 2016, about 2.5 years ago. The recreational U8 team was super-competitive, with kids yelling at each other on the field about missed plays, and the coach did nothing; other parents did nothing; the league did nothing to teach/encourage sportsmanship. I had to pull my kid out because he was crying after every game from getting verbally harassed by his "teammates". I hate to think what competitive Spurs teams are like. In terms of diversity, in the practices where there's multiple teams on the field (Gilman Fields, huge complex) at once, I observed that the Spurs are predominantly white, with Asian maybe the next most populous group. El Cerrito itself is a pretty diverse city (having lived here for 9 years) and my kids go to the most diverse elementary school in West Contra Costa, which is located in El Cerrito (Fairmont), so I find it telling that the Spurs organization does not reflect the community. During these practices, I also observed a lot of coaches speaking to their young players in ways I would not have liked my children to be spoken to. Our problem with the coach my son had was almost the opposite.... he never provided any guidance or direction, assumed everyone knew how to play well already - again, in U8 rec. Wouldn't recommend Spurs.
Archived Q&A and Reviews
July 2014
RE: Recreational Soccer for First Grader in El Cerrito
Hello, El Cerrito Futbal club is now called Spurs. There is a recreational option within the club. When playing recreational soccer, my son had a practice once a week, and a game almost every weekend during the season. He now plays competitive soccer, therefore an increase in the amount of commitment, practice meets, games and tournaments. Spurs El Cerrito encourages skill development, rather than focusing on purely winning. Volunteering is an expected part of many youth sport programs. Spurs requests 4 hours per season or you can opt out by paying more. The jobs/responsibilities are fairly easy - no big deal. As you live in El Cerrito, I would recommend Spurs - it is a great way to make connections within your community. Soccer mom
April 2014
RE: Albany Berkeley Soccer Club or El Cerrito Futbol?
My 3 kids have all been involved in ECFC at different times over the last 7 years. There were plenty of kids playing for ECFC and we found the league, at least on the boys side U8 and up to be quite competitive. They played games against ECFC, ABS, San Pablo and Mersey (a private league). My daughter, our remaining ECFC'er, has played U6 and U7 the past 2 Fall seasons. She had games every Saturday against ABS, plus 2 practices/wk. The atmosphere has been more low-key for her, but that might change next year. The ECFC Spring Rec. season is different as there are fewer players on the Rec. side, we only did one Rec. season due to baseball and softball. anon
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