‘A slap in the face.’ Coral Springs soccer families fear fees will price them out
Sarah Hauck finally felt like she was home.
Hauck, a single mom, and her daughter Emma made an emergency move from Baltimore to Coral Springs in 2016.
“I originally didn’t choose Coral Springs. It was just a place to go,” Hauck said. “Driving through the streets, seeing the small town, seeing everything, I completely fell in love.”
It wasn’t easy for Emma, Hauck said — she was shy and struggled to make friends. That changed when she started playing soccer in 2021, quickly going from Margate’s recreational program to Springs Soccer Club.
“It was our escape. It’s amazing to see the child, like, I wish I had a videotape of how she just opened up, and she’s a social butterfly,” she said.
“It makes me so sad to think about not financially being able to do it for her, because, like, this is her home away from home.”
This month, city commissioners unanimously approved a contract making Springs Soccer Club the official travel and developmental soccer provider for Coral Springs.
Now, some parents say a new city fee is threatening to price them out of a sport — and a community — that has become central to their lives.
Costs could soon hit other families, too, as officials told the Coral Springs News that those fees are going to become the standard across other city-recognized sports.
The Haucks planned to stay with the Springs Soccer Club until Emma, now in eighth grade, aged out. They found family in fellow players, parents and coaches, which Hauck says helped her navigate her father’s death from cancer when she otherwise would have been completely alone.
Then came the Coral Springs’ travel soccer program changes, which included a new city fee for recognized programs: a 25% charge on top of registration costs, with a $400 minimum.
“I’m going to cry even thinking about leaving,” Hauck said. “But I can’t choose a sport over a roof over my head.”
Fees to become standard across sports programs, city says
Spokesperson and Digital Media Manager Paula Rubiano told the Coral Springs News via email that the city has been working with Springs Soccer Club’s parent company, RLC Sports Management, “to review the financials with the goal of reducing overall player costs to better align with industry standards.”
“This is a new standard that we are moving forward with [for] all recognized sports leagues,” Rubiano wrote.
Under the new rule, families will pay a fee to the city — either 25% of enrollment costs or $400, whichever is higher — on top of already-rising sports expenses.
The rate was also posted on the city’s FAQ page about the youth soccer contracting process.
“Over the past six years, the city has not received a dedicated fee from the travel soccer program despite extensive field usage. During that time, field repairs, maintenance, and improvements have largely been funded through taxpayer dollars,” Rubiano said.
As the city and Springs Soccer Club enter the final stage of contract negotiations, though, it appears more changes are ahead.
An email to Springs Soccer Club parents obtained by the Coral Springs News indicates that prices could decrease significantly — but officials have not answered follow-up questions or updated the city’s soccer FAQ page to reflect the change.
Springs Soccer Club officials declined an interview with the Coral Springs News. City officials did not respond to the Coral Springs News’ multiple requests for comment on this specific issue.
City officials did highlight an upcoming community meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, May 18, at the Cypress Park Soccer Pavilion.
The uncertainty is having an effect on families, who also have to consider tryouts, school and other timelines.
“Life is already so difficult — nationally, wars, all these other outside factors. What people want to do when they get off work is spend time with their families at a park, watch their kids do things that they love,” said Chantal Jessup, a Springs Soccer Club parent.
“Now just all seems very tarnished in the city. It’s no longer enjoyable. People are upset. Your friends are upset. Your friends are leaving. I don’t know if the damage is repairable at this point.”
How much does it cost to maintain soccer fields?
Based on statements made by Parks and Recreation officials during two meetings this spring, the annual cost to maintain the city’s 11 turf soccer fields is between $1.17 million and $1.46 million — covering payments on the upfront installation cost, as well as regular maintenance.
This does not include upkeep for Coral Springs’ four remaining grass fields.
In the approved contract, the city asks for its cut to be either 25% of the registration cost or $400, whichever is higher.
City officials estimate that about 2,800 children play soccer in recognized programs every year, according to statements made during a hearing on the procurement process.
If the $400 minimum remains in place and enrollment remains stable, fees would net the city at least $1.12 million.
Screenshots obtained by the Coral Springs News indicate that some families will pay nearly double that, if the 25% rate remains in place.
‘No one can afford to live like this’
Families, meanwhile, are struggling with the uncertainty that has dominated the program change. Some say it has played into a larger trend of lost trust in local leaders.
“No one can afford to live like this, and these are hard-working families who make a decent living,” said Jessup, a nurse and mother of three.
“We don’t need all this glitz and glam and the Cornerstone project — they have money from all of our taxes to fund Perfumania and the new French bakery. But then the kids who just want to play soccer have to give the city $800 to $1,000 — it’s insane.”
The cost is driving families away from Coral Springs soccer, parents say, and breaking up the community they spent years building together.
“You work so hard, and all you want to do at the end of the day is go to the soccer fields, watch your kids do something they love, and now it’s like you’re being fined for this too,” Jessup said. “It’s just a slap in the face.”
