Tell us the origin story of South Sound FC - when was the club founded? By whom and what was its mission? But also tell us about why it took a break and what you've done to give it life again.
South Sound FC was founded in 2009 by John Callaway. The team played in various men's leagues and tournaments until John Crouch took over the club around 2011. Crouch then entered the club into the PASL Northwest Division which was the elite indoor competition at the time. Crouch's vision was to give local players an opportunity to showcase their talent on a competitive platform (and help build that platform). During the same period of time, I had been putting together a group of college players to play games in the summer months (there was no statewide outdoor league at the time, so we were piecing things together). That summer, I brought those players to John and we formed the outdoor leg of SSFC. We played the next few summers in the USASA U23 National Cup, then ultimately EPLWA was formed with the support of several clubs around WA state. I truly believe that without John Crouch and SSFC, much of what we take for granted in the WA soccer landscape would not exist. He led the charge for building EPLWA and converting our indoor league from the PASL to the WISL. He has always been a tremendous advocate for grass roots soccer and the development of young players in our state.

The SSFC name took a break, but the legacy has continued through a few clubs. On the outdoor side, the club partnered with Washington Premier FC. WPFC has a ton of resources when it comes to fields, coaches and players. It made sense for both parties to partner in order to best serve young players looking to advance their careers.

On the indoor side, the club partnered with the Tacoma Stars Reserves to maximize its impact. When Lane Smith purchased the Stars, there was a huge need to develop young players for the first team and South Sound FC had a great pool of players to support the first team at the local level.

As time has gone on, the former SSFC players have cycled through and it's been 9 years since an SSFC team took the field indoors. Last season, I attended the WISL final between the Stars Reserves and Everett City and watched alongside a few former SSFC players. It certainly didn't make sense for us to be competing for a place with the Stars first team, but it was also a shame that we were not out there playing still. Thus, the idea was reborn! I spoke with several players during the off season and put out some feelers and there was enough interest to enter a team into the WISL. We actually have 4 current players from the SSFC team that won the PASL Northwest Division in 2013! It's really cool to step on the field with those guys a decade after we began playing together.

Derek Johnson, formerly of the Tacoma Stars and Stars Reserves, has the support of his former club and has brought South Sound FC back to life (photo courtesy of GoalWA.net)

Tell us about your badge and colors – how does it connect to community and has it evolved over time or always been the same?
The badge actually has a great back-story. In the past, SSFC had the charter for the USA team in the All Nations Cup. So many of the South Sound players would double dip for both SSFC and the All Nations Cup Squad. Along with that, the red, white & blue bears significance as Tacoma and JBLM will always go hand in hand. There is certainly pride in representing our region and our armed forces. The shockwave is a representation of John Crouch's degree in seismology! That's a little known fact, but I think it's a cool part of the badge and also relevant to our region.

What league do you currently play in and have you always been in the same league? How often does the club think about where it should play its soccer?
We are currently competing in the Western Indoor Soccer League. My background is heavily weighted in indoor soccer, so I was more inclined to choose the indoor route. There are also fewer opportunities for guys to play indoor at a high level around the state. Facilities and support become a huge issue, but we are super fortunate to have support from the Stars organization in putting this team together. It's always been our goal to work alongside them and build the game of indoor soccer.

Many clubs choose to sell hats, scarves or replica kits - how does your club keep the lights on and cover its league costs? How can interested people support you?
We have several amazing partners and small businesses who are invested in supporting us. With this being our first year back, partnerships are really important to us. It's our goal as a club to provide as much value as we can to our partners by supporting their organizations. Lane Smith and the Stars organization has been incredibly gracious in helping us get this back off the ground.

Where do you draw your players from? Local talent? College amateurs? And do the same guys who play outdoor also play indoor for SSFC, or is it a whole different animal?
We are a unique mix! The majority of our team played in college locally (PLU, Saint Martin's, TCC, Evergreen) and still live in the area. A lot of our guys have played in the PASL/WISL for years. One of the cool things about adding this team is that guys who might have been driving 45-60 min to play for another WISL team can now play for one in their backyard. Many of these guys have full time jobs and can't make the time commitment to playing with the Stars Reserves, so this is a great alternative to continue playing at a high level.

If there were one or two teams, within a 100 miles of you, to play a friendly against – who would you play and why?
This used to be an easy answer - Kitsap Pumas! We had some great rivalry matches in the old Gig Harbor Indoor Soccer building and at Bremerton Indoor Sports. I think today it would be the Stars Reserves because of the proximity and great relationships with the players and coaches there.

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