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Santa Cruz County Breakers and Aptos Soccer Club Sign Agreement to Merge Competitive Soccer Programs to Form Santa Cruz United F.C.

SANTA CRUZ, CA., April 18, 2024– Following a two-year strategic alliance, the

Santa Cruz County Breakers and Aptos Soccer Club have announced that they

will be permanently merging their competitive soccer programs, commencing

July 1, 2024. The merger will form Santa Cruz United F.C., the largest competitive

soccer program in Santa Cruz County, with over 600 players and 38 teams.

The decision to combine follows two years of the clubs’ boards and technical

staff working together on a temporary basis under a strategic alliance agreement

signed in 2022. Based on the successes of the past two years, the new program

represents an opportunity for their players to have a more complete pathway at

the competitive level. By creating a larger pool of players in each age group, they

are able to align and play with coaches and teammates of like ability and

commitment level.

“This merger represents a huge opportunity to build and advance the competitive

soccer community in Santa Cruz County," said Ashley Edgar, Director of

Coaching, Santa Cruz Breakers. "For years we've been hoping to bring together

clubs from across the county to allow players to combine and compete for one

club. I'm excited to officially join forces with Aptos Soccer Club, which will enable

us to collaborate, rather than compete. By working together we can provide

appropriate playing levels to keep kids playing the game longer. We hope,

through our shared vision, we can collaborate with more local soccer clubs

across Santa Cruz.”

“This is an exciting moment for the future of soccer in Santa Cruz County.

Merging our two competitive programs will help develop soccer players of all

levels and give them a better opportunity to continue to play club soccer through

to college age,” said Ed Watson, Director of Coaching, Aptos Soccer Club. “By

creating a joint program, the player pools in each age group are larger, creating

more competitive teams and giving players the opportunity to develop their

soccer skills at their own pace, and stay in club soccer longer.”

Santa Cruz United F.C. will host tryouts starting in May for the 2024/25

competitive soccer season. The intention is to field teams for players aged 8-18

years old. Teams will compete in the NorCal Premier Soccer league, with the top

teams competing in the prestigious National Premier League (NPL). The NPL is a

national league providing an elite competition platform for top competitive youth

soccer clubs across the Unites States. Clubs must apply and meet competitive

standards to be admitted to the league.

Aptos Soccer Club and Santa Cruz County Breakers will continue to operate their

community recreational soccer programs independently from the combined

competitive club.

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