Moreno focused on growth, inclusion as Arcola FC continues to rise
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By Ben Crane
Five years after its founding, Arcola FC has quickly built a reputation as one of the area’s most competitive youth soccer clubs — and Director of Coaching Fredy Moreno said the program’s recent success is only the beginning.
“It’s kind of a common thing for us now,” Moreno said. “Whenever we go out to tournaments regionally, we tend to do really well. Last week our U14 boys were down in St. Louis and just put on a show. The boys are responding, everybody’s responding to what we do, and that helps get our name out there.”
Moreno said the program’s growing reputation can be traced back to the club’s first group in 2019. “We owe a lot of credit to that first team,” he said. “When we go to these tournaments now, people already know who we are. They’ve heard of Arcola FC.”
While the boys’ teams have found consistent success, Moreno said one of his biggest goals moving forward is expanding opportunities on the girls’ side of the program. Arcola FC fielded its first all-girls junior high team this year, and the group competed in a combined bracket against mostly boys’ teams.
“My vision locally is to keep fielding teams at every age group, but also to grow the girls’ side of things,” Moreno said. “We’d love to have girls’ teams across the board — just to give those players a chance to compete against their own. That would be huge.”
Moreno said he’s encouraged by the growing interest among local girls, noting that soccer has become one of the most popular sports among younger age groups in the area. “It seems like across the board, girls’ sports have been struggling a bit with numbers,” he said. “But here, we’re starting to see real interest from our female players, especially in soccer. If we can keep giving them that opportunity to play, that’s going to play a major role in the future.”
Looking ahead, Moreno hopes to expand Arcola FC’s reach beyond Douglas County. Facility space is limited, he said, but the club plans to continue developing partnerships and eventually add more teams in neighboring counties.
“At the end of the day, we just want to provide kids a chance to compete at that next level,” he said. “We want them to have something beyond what rec soccer offers — and we’re trying to do that at a price point that fits everyone.”
Moreno said affordability has been a cornerstone of the club’s philosophy since day one. With the rising costs of travel sports, Arcola FC relies on sponsors and fundraising to keep registration among the lowest in the area.
“We know how expensive travel sports have become,” he said. “If a family’s going to a weekend game in Springfield or Rantoul, that’s meals, gas, maybe a hotel. We don’t want to add to that. Our goal has always been to keep prices family friendly — and our sponsors make that possible.”
With steady growth, loyal volunteers and continued investment in coaching education, Moreno said he believes Arcola FC’s best days are ahead.
“If we can keep improving, keep educating our coaches, and keep providing affordable opportunities for kids, I think the future’s bright for Arcola FC,” he said.