Fall 2025 - A Note from the GM

As we kick off the 2025-26 season, I’d like to extend a special welcome to all of our members and a call to those who have not yet joined San Francisco Elite Academy to take a look at what we’re up to on and off the field. As our members know, I look at SF Elite Academy through multiple lenses…General Manager, Head Coach, College Recruiting Advisor and, until recently, that of a parent at the club. We’ve made some exciting adjustments at the club which I’d like to share with all of you. 

Earlier this year, we made a calculated decision to focus on the ECNL and RL leagues for both boys and girls in San Francisco.  When you look at organization, quality of competition and a high number of showcases that are attended by the highest number of college scouts in the USA, the ECNL leagues are objectively the best place to play for the college bound athlete. The experience our boys had making the ECNL playoffs for the second year in a row and the in-depth analysis our leadership team did, made it easier to move our girls teams away from the Girls Academy league and join the ECNL RL. Our goal is for our girls to win promotion to the ECNL proper because, simply put, we don’t believe it should be necessary to leave our 7X7 city and drive long distances when you can get the best training environment right here in San Francisco. 

As I looked around the room at the recent All Coach strategy meeting (led by our Sporting Director, Ihor Dotsenko), I realized that we did a remarkable job improving coach retention in 2025! It’s always been our goal to maintain a consistent coaching staff to ensure continuity in our development of players. The improved educational resources and professional environment we offer our staff of salaried coaches is clearly making a difference. 

We have also continued to expand our additional program offerings. Most significantly, we welcome back Sebastian Carrasco, NCAA Coach at SF State University, to launch a weekly Athletic Development program. In order to play at the highest level, players need to put in work outside the training pitch to develop and maintain the strength, speed, and fitness that modern soccer demands. Participating in this type of training also has a clear connection to injury prevention! Our training clinic offerings have also expanded with Friday Night Futbol led by Coach Gabe Silveira, the Captain of the US National Team for Beach Soccer. Dozens of U9-U12 players gather every Friday night at Fort Scott to develop excellence on the field and allow a beautiful walk with Golden Gate Bridge views for the attending parents. 

Having launched our College Recruiting efforts for the season, I can’t help but reflect on dropping my own daughter off at college. As a member of our strongest recruiting class in a decade, she'll be playing NCAA D3 soccer for a three-peat league champion. One of the many personal adjustments I’ve found myself struggling to make has been figuring out how to describe myself as a “former parent at the club” while maintaining the point that I have a deep and personal understanding of what families want and demand from a youth soccer club. The personal 1:1 recruiting guidance sessions we offer our members, at no additional fee, are unique in the San Francisco soccer community.

Speaking of parents, in closing, I would like to thank our many parent volunteers. Through a recent round of meetings, I got to spend time with so many generous, talented family members who maintain the SF Elite Culture through roles like Team Manager, VEO Camera Administrators and Field Setup. I’m learning more about how we can all help each other through our revised focus on building community networks with LinkedIn. 

I look forward to seeing you all on the fields. I’m always happy to learn from your ideas, questions and feedback. You help create our culture and make SF Elite Academy the best club in the area. 

Creston Creswell

GM