A new non-profit run by Hoboken moms and dads will make sure the traveling soccer program for kids continues.
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HOBOKEN, NJ — After financial uncertainties threatened to cancel future seasons of a Hoboken traveling soccer club, a group of soccer moms and dads will start a new non-profit to run the club.
On Thursday night, Mayor Ravi Bhalla issued a letter to parents. It was followed by a Zoom call with the interested parties, a source said.
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The new proposed non-profit entity will run the program rather than the Hudson City Futbol Club (FC).
(This program is unrelated to the longtime fall soccer program run each Saturday by Hoboken Recreation.)
The letter from Bhalla read:
Dear Travel Soccer Families,
I just finished a highly productive meeting with a group of parents dedicated to the continuation and growth of travel soccer in Hoboken. Our shared objective is to provide our children with the best recreational opportunities, particularly within the realm of travel soccer.
Following a discussion that touched on several options, the parents decided to establish a new, 501(c)(3) organization, independent from the City, that will assume responsibility for travel soccer in Hoboken for the upcoming fall season. The parents have represented to me that this newly created organization will strongly resemble what you were used to, and that the final details about this program will be released in the near future. I want to be clear that I fully support this initiative.
As a result of the very positive outcome of this meeting, the City will not issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) at this time. It is my preference to work with Hoboken parents and families forming this new organization to continue a Hoboken travel soccer program this fall.
For those interested in providing feedback regarding this new group, asking questions, or volunteer for the travel soccer program, please feel free to reach out to this parent group by emailing Sean Quinn at msbquin[email protected] and/or Andrea Fletcher at [email protected].
I acknowledge that the past few days and weeks have been challenging for many of us. As your mayor and a parent of a travel soccer participant, I, too, have experienced these same sentiments. However, the positive energy and enthusiasm from the parents I met with this afternoon and who have reached out to me, have inspired great confidence in their ability to cultivate an even better travel soccer program for our children in Hoboken.
I have full faith that the new program and operator will be run transparently and honestly. This will not only maximize the experience that every family should have when playing soccer, but also provide every family the peace-of-mind that should come when you financially commit yourselves to this new program, knowing that every penny is going to making this program the best it can be.
It is my sincere hope that, going forward, you will not hear much from me regarding this matter, as this new group assumes leadership and facilitates an outstanding fall season for all families. Hoboken is an extraordinary community, and in times of adversity, I am confident that we can rely on one another to rise to the occasion and make the best of any situation.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and your patience over the past week. My son and I look forward to seeing many of you later this season on the pitch.
Very truly yours,
Ravi S. Bhalla
Mayor, City of Hoboken