Surf Cup Sports (San Diego, CA) is proud to announce our new partnership with Santa Monica United FC (Santa Monica, CA), a stalwart of the Westside youth soccer landscape for 45 years. Santa Monica Surf will play the remainder of 2019 as Santa Monica United FC but will be fully integrated into the Surf Brand by the start of the 2020 season. Santa Monica Surf is devoted to solidifying a strong player pathway in the west Los Angeles area and joining Surf provides them a clear opportunity to fulfill that mission.
Santa Monica Surf joins San Diego Surf, OC Surf, LA Surf and Murrieta Surf, in the Southern California region to build an elite development program for Surf players and coaches. This Surf alliance will have unmatched access to top-level programming and network resources. LA Surf, which offers both ECNL and DA programming, will be a direct conduit for Santa Monica Surf athletes to play at the highest levels of competition and achieve increased exposure.
“We are thrilled to partner with Santa Monica Surf. At their core, they share the same dedication to Surf’s mission of creating the best opportunities and experiences for their players. Our new partnership allows us to provide them with the tools to continue to grow their club and to expand on this mission while offering an elite programming pathway,” said Surf’s Brian Enge. Added Enge, “Surf Cup Sports is committed to building an authentic network of partner clubs in the Los Angeles area and the leaders of Santa Monica Surf fit perfectly into our community.”
Surf Soccer Club and Santa Monica United FC were both early pioneers in soccer. Established in 1975, SMU has been serving LA’s Westside community longer than any other youth soccer club. Today, the club has grown into an elite soccer club with 40 teams and over 500 players.
SMU Director of Coaching for Girls, Fabian Amezega, stated, “We are excited to align our interests with the elite Surf organization. The ability to collaborate with all the other Southern California Surf affiliates gives our players greater access to improve and be seen.”
SMU Director of Coaching for Boys, Arron Craggs, added, “We are always looking for ways to provide the best possible athletic experience to our community, and we see this partnership as a way to do that. This relationship will provide additional resources in our players’ pathways to college and beyond.”
“As our Surf Affiliate Program continues to expand, it’s important that we partner with organizations that are run by likeminded Coaches and Administrators as they are dedicated to our mission to provide the best of the best experiences and opportunities for their athletes” said Chris Adams, Director of the Surf Affiliate program.
“Santa Monica will be able to take advantage of improved player opportunities, coaching development, administrative tools and marketing support – all which allow them to spend more time developing players and winning teams,” added Adams.
About Surf:
For over 42 years, Surf has been one of the founding organizations in youth soccer. With over $7 Million in charitable donations, 16 national championships, and countless professional, collegiate and youth national team players we are forever striving to be the “Best of the Best.” Santa Monica Surf joins San Diego Surf and the 17 Surf National Affiliates to comprise what we’re proud to call Surf Nation.
