Our interview with GM David Mildrew
We recently sat down with Southern Cal Blues General Manager, David Mildrew to congratulate the club on being named THESOCCERLIST's number one girls club in youth soccer and to ask what makes Southern Cal Blues so successful.
DM: We are a girls club and we believe that our singular focus on girl’s soccer is what helps us stand out. Our program and our focus is always on what makes a girl want to play and enjoy the game from U7 to U18..
DM: I think that the club’s reputation over time has had a lot to do with our quality of coaches. We attract coaches who know how to be successful coaching girls, many of whom have coached at the college level. We have good quality fields for our players: one facility for all of our programs. At other levels, the coach’s focus can be on fundraising and navigating the complexities of compliance. We want our coaches focused on player development. We think we have demonstrated leadership on how this should be done.
DM: Particularly on the girl’s side, I am very pleased with the impact ECNL (Elite Club National League) has had on the sport and how it has developed the game. Given the weather in California and other warmer regions of the country that allows for year round play, there was a perception that these clubs were somehow better. ECNL has shown good clubs across the country. This has increased competition and resulted in better quality of players. ECNL has had a strong influence on girl’s soccer.
Any negatives?
DM: Sure. Teams are traveling more and it costs more. This can be a big financial obligation for families. Many families should evaluate whether rec level is better for their child. Also, club soccer has continued to grow every year and there is an increased demand for fields and as the sport continues to grow, you will find an even more competitive environment for scholarships.
DM: This is very important to us as well. We have worked with coaches from local universities like USC to show us some of the injury prevention techniques that they use, including stretching, warm ups and ACL injury prevention.
DM: We are committed to our girls and our program. Approximately 90-95% of our girls play at college at some level. We are proud of that.
Dave Mildrew is the General Manager at So Cal Blues. He started as a soccer dad and wanted to give back to the club after his daughters graduated. He has been with the program as a parent or administrator for over 20 years.
~ Charlotte Pasqual, Senior Writer
