Stegman's Soccer Club: MASL & MRSL

Soccer in Minneapolis is a big, big deal… and one of the biggest organizations, which is the literal embodiment of a soccer club, is Stegman’s SC. For those from outside of the “Mini Apple,” you may be more familiar with their soccer love-child MPLS City, but if you’re a regular down at the National Sports Center or Lincoln Ground down on Penn Ave., you are very familiar with The Blues. To get more information about Stegman’s we reached out to Dan Warner, who said to just call him Warner to avoid confusion with the other Dan richly involved in the club, Dan Hoedeman.   Warner tells us he moved to Minneapolis in 2011 and was fortunate to discover Stegman’s Old Boys right away – he’s been affiliated with the club ever since. In 2018 he took the reigns of the entire Stegman’s operation so that Hoedeman and Jon Bisswurm could focus on developing MPLS City. While each affiliate Stegman’s team has its own manager, Warner oversees the whole club and still pulls all the strings for Stegman’s Old Boys. Insofar as we can determine, we hit paydirt and found the right guy to answer our questions about a good club doing great things in the beautiful “Mill City.”

Stegman's Soccer Club; Stegman's 1977, Stegman's Old Boys, Stegman's Athletic, Stegman's Blues, and Stegman's United... Stegman seems to be the common thread - which club came first and how has so many teams been born from one club?

The Old Boys are the flagship team starting in 2010. The things we did outside of game-day made us what we are and other people started taking notice. In 2011 we needed a couple of players to fill out our roster but there was so much interest we decided to form a second team under the Stegman’s Old Boys umbrella. We eventually grew to four teams across two leagues, the Minnesota Amateur Soccer League and the Minnesota Recreational Soccer League, both men’s summer amateur leagues. And of course, we played indoor and small-sided fall leagues as well. 

In 2015, FC Internationals, a storied amateur club in the MASL that had been affiliated with us, ran into some financial and organizational difficulties. We were already affiliated with them so it made sense for us to help out. We did, the two clubs merged, and the Internationals rebranded as Stegman’s 1977 won the MASL Division 1 championship in 2016 and 2017.

Challenging for the ball down at the Lincoln Ground (photo: Stegman’s SC Facebook)

Tell us a little bit about the MASL - is there a pro/rel model in place and can multiple Stegman-based clubs compete in the same division?

The MASL is a 4-division league with proper 2 up 2 down pro/rel. It also allows teams in different divisions to affiliate and share players with a few simple restrictions. We have 3 teams in the MASL (Athletic in D3, Old Boys in D2 and 1977s in D1.) We do our best to keep our teams in different divisions to utilize the affiliations but there have been a few epic battles with Old Boys and Athletic in D3 over the last 5 years. 

Stegman’s actually got started in the other Twin Cities league - the MRSL and have retained a presence with one or two teams in that league ever since. The MRSL has a similar setup - 6 divisions on Sunday nights and 6 on Monday nights with promotion/relegation but they’re a little more lax on who must go up and who must go down, nor do they have the affiliation or player-sharing system. Blues are currently in Sunday D5 (after winning D6 going undefeated in 2019) and United in Monday D3.

Founded just 4 years ago, MPLS City seems to have become a well-known sibling of the Stegman's teams - how did that come about and why wasn't it given the Stegman's surname?

Stegman’s has always been anti-.......lots of things, which is part of our, shall we say, charm. That charm works at the local, and even quasi-regional level, but not necessarily at the national level. With MPLS City joining the national soccer pyramid we took the opportunity to have a refresh and create MPLS City in the Stegman’s image but take it to another level with broader appeal. The first name when we joined the PLA was technically SSC Minneapolis City to make the connection to Stegman’s but we quickly dropped the SSC because it’s more than a mouthful and didn’t allow us quite the separation from Stegman’s we were looking for. 

Who knows if it was the right or wrong decision, but it is hard enough to make things work in the lower divisions. We were worried an esoteric, if awesome, name like Stegman’s Old Boys might be a barrier.

With so many squads in competition, do players ever move in-between the squads? Do players perceive the NPSL side as something to aspire to?

NS - Since Stegman’s is the recreational arm of the club as a whole there’s always going to be roster shake-ups; people stop playing, move for family/work, etc. The goal is to make sure everyone is playing at the best level for themselves and the club and having 5 different teams within the club makes that much easier for us. Especially when players come along but the higher-level squads don’t have any room - we are able to offer a spot within the club with potential to move up. We then see what they’re like both on and off the field and understand how the club operates - e.g. squads are built on both skill and chemistry, our ‘no assholes rule’, amongst other things. Typically, we try to get these new players folded into the club / squads during a fall or winter small-sided league to work through these things during our off-season.

Some of the players who get involved with Stegman’s 1977 & Old Boys (our D1 & D2 MASL squad) do have aspirations to play with the NPSL side and we’re more than happy to provide them with those opportunities. More often than not, players on the MPLS City and MPLS City 2 come down to the Stegman’s levels to get some additional reps and game time.

Slicing through Fargo FC at the National Sports Center (photo: Stegman’s SC Facebook)

There are various ways that clubs can set up; LLC, S-Corp, non-profit with a board and even 100% supporter owned; how is Stegman's built, what informed that decision, what are the strengths and what are the weaknesses?

We are an LLC, owned by our own players. It’s a tax nightmare, to be honest, and we’ve had to slightly adjust the structure over time, but the intent is to build a club with staying power. Part of that is the financial piece. This gives us a broad base of guys who literally feel ownership in the success of the club. The other part is player engagement and guys willing to put in the time to organize and make things happen. We’ve been lucky in that respect, and are already well into the second generation of leaders and still going strong.

Aside from providing a ton of opportunity for players of any level to participate in soccer - Stegman's is well-known for contributing to charitable causes; what has made that a part of the mission of the club and what are some of your favorite causes? 

We originally started out as a rec team that would do things the best way, the right way, and not be the boners who show up with mismatched shorts & socks…. though Club Legend, The Gray Wolf, never showed up to a game wearing the proper shorts. Anyways, the first Stegman’s squad wanted to be more than just 20 guys that show up to play on Sundays so we did some training during the week to build our chemistry. 

As we moved into year 2 and year 3 of the club we started looking into other ways to live up to that mantra of ‘being more than guys that just show up on game day’ and this naturally led us towards giving back and some outreach to those less fortunate than we are. Two of the three founders are good friends with the founder of The Free Beer Movement so we decided it would be really cool to bring some of that energy to a men’s recreational soccer match. We got some items to raffle off, a bunch of beer, and invited friends & family for the first annual Stegman’s Free Beer Night, played against an unsuspecting MRSL squad. As the years went on we decided to do some new things with it, expanding our reach and philanthropy by playing a squad from The Sanneh Foundation at MN United’s training field. As the club grew bigger, and field availability in the Twin Cities became a bigger issue, it became harder to get this scheduled so it’s been on hiatus for the last couple of years but we’re always looking to bring it back as well as new ways to give back through soccer.

Stegman’s SC is more than just a team, it’s a family (photo: Stegman’s SC Facebook)

With such dynamic soccer-minds at the helm of Stegman's, what's the next evolution? What should we be looking forward to when soccer comes back to normal?

I think the most important thing for us is to double-down on what made Stegman’s the kind of rec club that has attracted over hundreds of guys over the years - our traditions, camaraderie, beer, etc. Oh, and to keep winning and adding more championship ‘staches above our club crest. 

To Find out more about the club: http://stegmanssc.com/

Muskegon Risers (NPSL & UWS)

A little over a year ago we introduced you to Matt Schmitt and his club, Muskegon Risers READ HERE and we thought there was no time like the present to catch up with them; see what they’ve been up to and what we might have missed the first time round.  

For some of our brand-new readers, can you take a second to explain the origins of Muskegon Risers?

The Muskegon Risers organization was established in January of 2014 to help facilitate positive social and economic change along the Muskegon Lakeshore through the game of soccer. A Riser is someone who understands our community’s potential and who pushes themselves and others to realize that potential. Our ‘Risers’ name was inspired by the ‘Muskegon, Together Rising’ sculpture that stands in the heart of downtown Muskegon. Risers are not limited to an era, industry or ethnicity. The Muskegon Risers to represent the spirit of our area’s people in past, present and future tense.

MKG fields a men’s outdoor team (National Premier Soccer League), men’s arena team (Major Arena Soccer League II), women’s outdoor team (United Women’s Soccer), women’s arena team (Independent) and eSports team (eNPSL/VPG). The Risers play all home outdoor games at historic Monsignor Kehren Stadium, and all arena games in downtown Muskegon’s Mercy Health Arena.

It looks like you've updated your badge since last we spoke; can you walk us through it? What are the elements and what do they mean?

“Muskegon” originates from the word “mashkig” of the area’s indigenous Ojibwe tribe, and our arrow-shaped crest recognizes this history. Geographically, the City is positioned on Lake Michigan and has the only deep-water port, Muskegon Lake, on Michigan’s west coast. As a Port City, shipping, boating and beach-going help shape Muskegon’s modern industry and culture. The crest’s blue and green colors are a reflection of Muskegon’s natural beauty as a lakeside community, particularly during the spring, summer and fall seasons. During the Muskegon Risers winter arena season, our crest colors change to black and white as Muskegon Lake freezes and lake effect snow blankets the community. The unique symbol located at the crest’s top – layered over iconic sun and waves – is derived from the sculpture at the heart of Downtown Muskegon named “Muskegon, Together Rising”.

Indoors, Outdoors... and even on ice. It looks like your club is willing to play soccer anywhere; why is that and do the players from the NPSL and UWS players participate in all levels of competition or do you have recreation and co-ed squads?

Our purpose is centered around creating a positive impact on the Muskegon Lakeshore through soccer. As such, we're able to adapt with different variations in which the game is played and will compete if we feel confident in our ability to deliver a quality experience for everyone involved. We focus on elite performance and do not delve into the realm of recreational soccer through the Risers brand.

As mentioned, you have teams in both a men's and women's league, why is it important to provide a similar opportunity to the women of your community? Do they have a totally separate set of coaches? Budget?

Every decision we make is derived from our core mission of creating a positive impact on the Muskegon Lakeshore through soccer, and the addition of a women's team effectively doubles the force with which we are able to serve that purpose. The women's outdoor team does operate within its own business model, as does our women's arena team. Our relentless commitment to a clear organizational purpose has allowed us to create opportunities for men's and women's outdoor and indoor players, and most recently eSports players.

With the NPSL cancelling the season, are you still holding out hope for local competitions and regional cups or have you decided to just put the whole men's team on hold for 2020? What about the UWS and the women's squad - what's the word?

In late March, the NPSL cancelled its season on a national level and we completely understood the decision. Locally, we continued to evaluate our landscape until early April when it was clear that moving forward with a men's and women's outdoor season in 2020 was not in the organization's best interest. We've embraced the mantra "The Obstacle is the Way" and are using this opportunity to build an eSports program, which just started its inaugural eNPSL season last week https://virtualprogaming.com/league/enpsl

What do we have to look forward to in the Fall / Winter? Rec leagues? More indoor? What do you have up your sleeve?

Assuming the public health data and local policies are favorable, we plan to re-activate our men's and women's arena teams who would start competition in January of 2021. The question for all of our teams is when, not if, they will return to full competition which is a position we are very grateful to be in.

To keep up with Muskegon Risers: https://muskegonrisers.com/

Lancaster Inferno FC

Can you tell us who you are and your role with Lancaster Inferno?

My name is Francisco Cleaves and I am the president of Inferno Soccer Corp. I have also been the head coach since we acquired the team in 2014. We are a 501 (c) 3 organization with a mission to provide our fans and players with the highest level of amateur women’s soccer in Central PA.

 From where do you draw your players? Do you tend to stay local?

We attract players from Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania (Lancaster, Philadelphia, Reading, Harrisburg) . Some players commute two hours to our practices held in the Lancaster area. We are growing our local recruit pool with our second team that plays in UWS League Two.

 Tell us about a few of the players from the team that we should know about for the upcoming season. 

This will be a transition year for us as players have gone pro such as two-time UWS East Goalkeeper of the Year Kelly O’Brien, competing in the topflight in Hungary. We do have our captain and former professional with Ottawa Fury Teresa Rook, who earned All-UWS First Team honors last season. Also returning are defenders Marissa DiGenova (Temple University), Adalee Broadbent (Maryland University) and midfielders Ryelle Shuey (Lehigh University), Jackie Richards (Xavier University), and former professional Kendra Jones (FC Bulleen Lions and Bayside United FC of the Women’s National Premier League in Australia).

Which clubs do you consider to be your biggest rivalry games?

We have always had a big rivalry with the New England Mutiny but feel we also have good rivalry with all the teams that are closer to us like NJ Copa FC and Long Island Rough Riders.

Having switched from WPSL and UWS in 2016, how would you compare the two leagues? What ultimately was the reason for changing leagues?

We had started the process of applying for a W-League franchise because we saw the need for better standards and organization. After that league folded we were contacted by some former W-League teams to see if we wanted to be part of a new league that was forming (UWS). UWS maintains the professional standards in respect to rules, facilities, and organization. Our belief was that we wanted to play in a league that would eventually prepare us to field a professional team.

In 2018 your team joined Rush Soccer but decided not to continue that relationship after a year. Is being independent an important part of your club?

Our main purpose for that alliance was to tap into their player pipeline. Also, when they were involved with the local USL team (Penn FC),  there were synergies that we could have taken advantage of, such as sharing facilities and playing venues. Once Rush Soccer’s relationship with Penn FC ended, it no longer made sense for us to continue that relationship. We continue to look for other organizations that share our commitment to growing and supporting women’s soccer.

What are the biggest challenges to operating an independent women's soccer club? 

There are two: one is ensuring you have a player pipeline, and the other is ensuring that you have enough financial support to operate the team. Each year we try to improve on those two fronts. This year we are attacking these by having a reserve team that will play in UWS League Two, which gives the younger players an opportunity to experience a higher level of play. And we’re also connecting with local coaches in addition to our college recruiting.

We’ve been fortunate to have acquired some excellent corporate sponsors and some faithful individuals that have supported us and our mission from the outset. But looking at other ways for us to raise funds is something we continue to work on. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention our good friend Roger Sandt (supporter and sponsor of the Inferno since 2014). We have many small local businesses that support us and last year added another multiyear uniform sponsor (Listrak). This year we will be holding more summer camps/clinics and are working to maintain a year-round presence in the community.

Talk about the support the club receives from the local community.

We’ve received great support from youth clubs and have worked to develop a loyal following through our social media effort, youth soccer camps and providing and focusing on the game day experience for the fans. The local newspaper (LNP) has always provided great coverage and we are working to get more consistent coverage from the local TV stations. It’s a challenge because we have a short season (10 games plus play-offs). Last year we had a USWNT watch party at one of our sponsors (Mad Chef Craft Brewing) and it was packed, so we will continue to have events in addition to youth soccer camps. We also have a long-term agreement with Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health Sports Medicine that provides physicals, trainer services and educational programs to our players.

There has been talk about someday having a Women's Open Cup in this country. If this came to fruition, do you see your club participating?

That would be awesome, and we would participate if given the opportunity. At the coaches’ convention, our league’s team owners had the opportunity to bring it up to Carlos Cordeiro. We have also had discussions with John Motta (USASA) regarding this. I believe they are supportive, but we need to get some traction to make it happen.

Where do you see your club going in the future? Is going professional something you envision?

We are exploring ways to grow and believe that we’ve built a great platform that’s focused exclusively on women’s soccer. I think as lower pro-divisions are formed, we would be interested but need the financial backing from local supporters willing to invest in that venture, which I think would be great for our area.