Coral Springs hits reset on travel, rec soccer program proposals. Here are details
The City of Coral Springs postponed its official request for “comprehensive soccer program” proposals less than a day before evaluation committee members were scheduled to vote on which one to recommend to the City Commission for final approval.
“The city is revising the scope of services and reissuing the RFP,” city spokesperson Sayona Khandwalla told the Coral Springs News on March 24 via email.
“The city still plans to hold a workshop to discuss city soccer programming on Thursday, March 26, at 4 p.m. in Commission Chambers.”
What will change in the new request is not clear.
The package faced months of backlash from parents and staff at Coral Springs Youth Soccer (CSYS), which has run the recreational program for 53 years. Advocates tied the mention of a travel team in the request to a national trend: increased professionalization in children’s sports.
“Our mission is simple: To provide safe, affordable, inclusive soccer for every child who wants to play,” Denise Fatigate, president of CSYS, said during a February City Commission meeting. “We are not a revenue-driven operation. We are a community institution built on equal playing time, accessibility, competition and fun.”
Fatigate also highlighted other concerns, including differences in mission, likely increased costs to families and loss of the structure that CSYS has built over its five decades in the community.
She said she also felt that CSYS did not have enough time to respond to the proposal request, as the organization was in the more intense weeks of the soccer season.
Throughout the process, commissioners and other government leaders have repeatedly stated that they did not intend to eliminate any programs.
“Coral Springs Youth Soccer is not being eliminated, and maybe we did a bad job of explaining that,” Deputy City Manager Brad McKeone said in response. “I don’t envision, and neither does Rob [Hunter] as the Parks and Rec director, envision a youth soccer program here that doesn’t contain or have Coral Springs Youth Soccer participating in it.
“Now, will there be one organization, under one umbrella of soccer? Yes, that is the vision, because it does allow us to have better use of the fields, better efficiency.”
Concerns reappeared in early March, when officials learned that emails had gone out to members of Springs Soccer Club (SSC)— one of seven accepted bidders for the travel soccer contract — encouraging them to speak highly of the organization during public comment.
According to City Attorney J.J. Hearn, those messages included specific talking points for residents and could be cause to throw SSC’s bid out entirely.
The full list of groups that submitted proposals:
- Athletic Club Florida
- Broward Youth Soccer
- Coerfontaine FC
- Fort Lauderdale Football Club
- Parkland Travel Soccer Club
- RLC Management Sports Programs (Springs Soccer Club)
- MIG Sports (Coral Springs Soccer Academy)
Evaluation committee members had been scheduled to meet on March 25, hours ahead of the regularly scheduled Coral Springs City Commission meeting, before the postponement notice went out. That committee is now scheduled to meet a day later.
This story was originally published March 24, 2026 at 4:56 PM.
