Player Scholarship Fund

Wednesday, 30 May 2007

Desert United Soccer Club is committed to excellence. As so often happens, to support excellence there is a financial cost. Club soccer teams play a ten month calendar of soccer and some even extend their season to eleven or twelve months. This requires a significant expenditure of time and money. A typical player may need a total of up to $1,800 per year to play soccer. These expenses include $720 to $1,145 for fees to the Club to pay for the expenses of paying the coach (some times called a trainer). At Desert United coaches are paid professionals and there are no parent coaches for the teams (there is one exception of a team of parents who coach one team for Desert United but their expertise and credentials are extra-ordinary). The season begins each year in the fall with the regular season. Prior to that season in August the typical team participates in Tournaments (most teams extend their calendar and practice/play in June and/or July as well!). After the regular season there is the regular tournament season, which includes League Cup, State Cup, National Cup, and a series of tournaments for teams to compete in. Each tournament has a cost for entry. In addition, there are the referee fees and equipment fees such as uniforms and balls. It is not uncommon for a team to consist of 15 to 16 players with an annual budget of $27,000. Not every player can afford these costs. The Desert United Soccer Club has established the Player Scholarship Fund to assist players whose families cannot afford the Club fees and sometimes the tournament fees. People may contribute tax-deductible donations to the Club to this fund to be used to cover fees for players. These donations can also be targeted for a specific team or even a specific player. If you want to consider donating to help support players at the Desert United Soccer Club, please email us at info@desertunitedsoccer.org and someone will contact you to provide you with additional information. Thank you for your consideration.