Delaware Football Club expanding into Cape Region

After finding immense success in northern Delaware, Delaware Football Club is expanding its offerings into the Cape Region.

“We were just granted the ability to play in the Elite Clubs National League for 13-19-year-olds, and to be good in every age group we need a bigger pool of players,” said Director Scott Mosier. “We’ve done well with a smaller pool of players up north, but growth and having a bigger pool is a priority for us for the league.”

Featuring a staff of 55 members who are growing and developing their own coaching skills, Mosier said Delaware FC is always looking for opportunities to get into different areas. Teaching the game is the soccer club’s product, but there is an emphasis on player development that goes beyond the pitch. Mosier will lead the new Henlopen staff, joined by Justin Romano, Dave Scruggs and Scott Smith.

“The focus for Delaware FC first and foremost is to use the sport to develop character so they become great young adults,” Mosier said. “I don’t think there’s many opportunities in life right now to fail at something and it not be consequential.”

While Delaware FC fields highly competitive teams, players starting out in their early years are handled in a personal manner to ensure they are developing correctly.

“In a game, a 9-year-old could miss a shot and he’ll be upset, which we expect because he’s competitive,” Mosier said, “But then it’s on us to teach him through the sport how he can handle making mistakes and adversity.”

Coaching in Delaware for more than 20 years, Mosier said he’s seen so many 7-year-olds turning into 18-year-olds that he can appreciate the transition they make from being young kids to young adults.

“Win or lose is irrelevant,” Mosier said. “There’s nothing that makes a coach more proud than to see somebody under their structure or their coaching develop into a great player.”

Partnering with Cape Henlopen High School and Sandhill Fields, Delaware FC will hold practices and clinics at both facilities. Tryouts for Delaware FC will be held at Cape Henlopen High School Thursday, April 18 and Friday, May 10. Boys and girls born 2013-18 will begin at 5:30 p.m. and finish at 7 p.m. Next, the boys and girls born 2006-12 will take part in their tryouts before things wrap up at 8:30 p.m.

Mosier said the cost for a U9 player is $700, U10 is $800,  and U11 and U12 will pay $1,000. One of the goals of the club is to remove financial barriers to participation.

“The nice thing about having a big club  – we have over 2,500 players and that’ll be closer to 3,000 next year – is it’s a big budget,” Mosier said. “The facilities are good, our staff gets educated and they’re certified at the highest level, but the other thing with a big budget is we can offer scholarships. We don’t have anybody up north unable to play because of money, and that’ll be the same down south.”

Mosier said parents and caregivers can request a scholarship, and Delaware FC will discuss the matter with them on a private level.

Those making the team can expect to practice three nights a week, with the third practice remaining optional for some teams, and games held on weekend in fall and spring. The teams competing in the ECNL will practice all three days during the week.

Even though they have teams competing at the highest level of club soccer, Mosier encourages players of all skill levels to come out.

“Our mission statement is ‘Soccer for all’ at Delaware FC and that encompasses the younger, the older, the high level, the lower level, and those who think they can’t afford it,” Mosier said. “Our mission is something we take seriously to make sure everybody has an opportunity to play.”

Mosier said he and the rest of the staff at Delaware FC are excited about the southern expansion, believing they are qualified to deliver top-notch training at a hands-on level for an affordable price.

Anyone interested in learning more about Delaware FC’s expansion into the Cape Region can attend a Zoom webinar from 7 to 8 p.m., Sunday, April 14, by registering at tinyurl.com/473yetsj. The webinar link will be emailed after registration is completed.

More information about Delaware FC can be found at DelawareFC.org.