San Diego Surf Soccer Club, commonly known as San Diego Surf or just Surf, is an American youth soccer club based in San Diego County, California. It is a member of the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL).[3]
 | |
| Full name | San Diego Surf Soccer Club |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1977[1] |
| Ground | Surf Sports Park[2] Del Mar, California, U.S. |
| Website | Club website |
History
San Diego Surf Soccer Club was founded in 1977. According to itself, it is the oldest competitive youth soccer club in San Diego.[1] As of November 2022, Surf has won 12 national championships, 29 regional championships, and over 74 state championships.[1]
On 10 August 2021, Surf was named the first-ever ECNL Boys Overall Club Champion.[4] On November 15, 2022, it was announced that Surf would join the Women's Premier Soccer League in the 2023 season.[5]
Lawsuit
In 2021, Girls Director of Coaching Rob Becerra was accused of sexual harassment during his employment at Surf, which led to a lawsuit against the club.[6] Becerra was accused of harassing one of his employees, Karley Nelson, who joined the club in 2020.[7] He allegedly told Nelson that she could "sleep with any of the guys in that clubhouse" and made repeated comments about her body.[6] Additionally, the suit alleged that Becerra touched Nelson multiple times.[6] Nelson was told that Becerra would be removed at the end of the season for poor performance, but to her knowledge, he was not reprimanded for the allegations of sexual harassment.[6] Another woman who coached for Surf alleged that Becerra had directed sexist and homophobic jokes at her.[7]
