When the subject of Club of the Year nominations arose in a Protagonist meeting last month, I was quick to submit my nomination in favor of the Denton Diablos. I’d followed their 2021 season fairly closely, and been present for their national championship victory in August, so there was some personal experience in my assertion. But on-pitch exploits are only a part of what Protagonist champions in naming their club of the year nominees, and I’d need to back mine with more holistic, outside-the-pitch reasons than just match winning.

Commitment to On-Field Excellence

To be clear, the Diablos have certainly done their fair share of winning this year. They commenced that habit on January 9th with a 2-0 Roja League Invierno Championship victory over FC Harrington, then carried that through the regular season of their NPSL Lonestar Conference campaign. Their eight wins, one draw and a single loss in the regular season included three clean sheets and, behind a prolific attacking lineup, a 7-2 victory over Chisholm Trail rival Fort Worth Vaqueros and a 6-1 win over Coyotes FC. And the scoring didn’t let up in the postseason as the Diablos burned a path through a hellish row of adversaries. They tempted seven goals past Katy 1895 FC, vengefully scorched three in the net versus Laredo Heat, pitchforked four more through FC Golden State, condemned Cleveland SC behind another four scores before roasting Tulsa Athletic under a five-goal onslaught in the National Championship match.

All that winning is, of course, impressive. But many clubs have come, won impressively, then faded or folded in another year or two. So what else should a club value, impart, and strive to be? What provides club longevity in the shifting sands of US lower league soccer? What endears them to their community and builds sustainable support? What makes them club of the year nomination worthy?

Commitment to Local Youth Development

The Diablos doubled down their efforts in the Roja League, electing to field a second side, the Estudiantes, in the competition. This allowed for collegiate and high school age players, many with their school seasons canceled due to Covid-19, a place to play and continue to develop their skills, with opportunity to work their way into the first team. To say this opportunity provision has been successful would be an understatement, as the Estudiantes reached the Roja League final the first two competitions, and claimed the title in the first.

Looking further ahead, the Diablos also have begun fielding youth sides as young as the U10 level. Their fondly monikered Diablitos are not only finding on-field success in the early going, but are also involved in first team match day, helping instill a deep, grassroots, love for their local club.

Commitment to Community & Outreach

And building that grassroots love is a demonstrable priority to the founders and family at Denton. The club recently opened up a commercial retail space in the heart of town, to provide a local outlet for fans to purchase team merch, but also to ingrain the club as a recognizable facet in the community by being able to interact with shoppers and passers-by outside of match day events.

Part of being that facet is Diablos founder Damon Gochneaur’s passion for the store to act as a hub for community and fan response with donations and charitable outreach in times of need. Already in 2021, while Texas suffered under effects of freezing temperatures and power grid failures, the club used their storefront as a collection place for donations of water, food and vital supplies to then be distributed where most needed in the broader community.

Commitment to Supporters

As a local lower league soccer supporter, I know how a fanbase can grow, or dissipate, on the strength of mutual respect and communication a lower league club fosters with their most ardent fans. To fully understand the Diablos’ meaning to their supporters, you have to grasp the supporters' meaning for the club. To best exemplify that, I reached out to the Denton Harbingers, the independent supporters group for the Diablos. One of their founders, Randy, began laying groundwork for the Harbingers long before the team every kicked off their initial season, and was kind enough to share some of his thoughts on what were his highlights in supporting the club in 2021:

“I was so excited to take home the Lone Star Conference Championship. Anything beyond that was achieving the impossible. My favorite moment of the year was the seven-goal drubbing of (Chisholm Trail Derby rival) Fort Worth. We (supporters) went through our entire smoke budget for the season on that day.

To see the shop on the corner as a beacon that the little club that slayed giants is here, and making noise, makes my heart pitter patter.

My biggest moment as a supporter group was when we launched a Harbingers shirt to raise funds for smoke and other fan interactions. To see the team and community buy into what we are trying to do was amazing.”

Randy’s words and personal highlights on what Denton Diablos meant for him as a supporter in 2021 notably come back to the club’s commitments to competitive excellence, community, outreach and their fanbase. In striving holistically towards each of those commitments, the club has clearly endeared and supported their supporters in turn. It’s an effort that brought a plethora of results to the club in 2021, and a formula that promises to do so for many years to come.

Commitment to excellence in sporting effort. Commitment to grassroots youth development and opportunity. Commitment to community and charitable outreach. Commitment to their fans. The “little club that slayed giants” is my choice for 2021 Protagonist Soccer Club of the Year - the Denton Diablos.

- Ryan Stallings