Club Ohio Soccer
EIN: 90-0732311 · Tax status: 501(c)(3) nonprofit
Overview
Dublin, Ohio-based statewide youth soccer club operating under the Club Ohio Soccer Inc legal entity. 501(c)(3) nonprofit, tax-exempt since February 2012. Headquartered at 6923 Rings Road, Dublin, with six regional branches — National (Dublin/HQ), Dayton, East, North, West (Marietta / Devola Soccer Complex), and additional outlying programs. Stated core values are Passion, Integrity, and Progress.
Financials
| Metric | FY2025 (ended May 2025) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $5,635,832 | 97.2% program services |
| Expenses | $5,281,335 | |
| Net Income | $354,497 | Profitable |
| Total Assets | $4,015,303 | |
| Total Liabilities | $818,177 | |
| Net Assets | $3,197,126 |
Salaries & wages: $2,077,634 (39.3% of expenses). Director of Coaching Steve Dawson compensation: $76,992. ProPublica reports a long-run growth trajectory from $1.0M revenue (FY2012) to $5.6M (FY2025) — roughly 5.5x over 13 years, ~14% CAGR.
(HIGH confidence — Form 990, ProPublica.) The largest Ohio nonprofit youth soccer club by revenue identified to date — ~58% larger than Ohio Premier ($3.6M FY2024).
Teams & Players
Approximately 1,200 players across 100+ teams competing in 8 different leagues per the club website. Programs run from Juniors Youth Academy (ages 4-7) through age 23. Multiple competitive levels span beginner through national.
League Affiliations
- MLS NEXT Academy Division (current) — promoted to MLS NEXT Homegrown for 2026-27 (top tier)
- Girls Academy — joined for 2025-26
- Girls Academy Aspire (developmental tier under GA)
- NAL (National Academy League)
- USYS National League
- OSPL / COPL / OCL state league system
The MLS NEXT Homegrown promotion (effective September 2026) is the most consequential league-status change among Ohio independents in recent years and positions Club Ohio as the highest-credentialed boys pathway among non-MLS-affiliated clubs in the state.
Facilities
Multi-site partner-facility footprint:
- Club Ohio Training Center — 6923 Rings Road, Dublin (HQ)
- Devola Soccer Complex — Marietta (West / southeastern Ohio anchor)
- Fortress Obetz — Obetz, OH
- Jennings Sports Park — Lewis Center
- Kilbourne Run Sports Park — Columbus
- Soccer First @ SportsOhio — Dublin
No club-owned campus identified in public records. The Marietta operation (Devola Soccer Complex) gives the club the broadest geographic reach of any Columbus-headquartered club and supports the regional branch model.
Leadership
Compensated leadership per the FY2025 Form 990 (Part VII):
- Steve Dawson — Director of Coaching ($76,992)
- Tony Ciriaco — President (Board)
- W. Randy Smith — Vice President (Board)
Operating leadership per the club website:
- Costa Kalorides — General Manager
- Evan Fuhs — Club Director of Coaching
- Sandy Poole — Club Treasurer & Dayton Managing Director
- JD Hartwell — North Managing Director
- James Norman — East Managing Director
- Nate Black — United Managing Director
- Kristen Chittum — Club Registrar
The split between the two coaching titles (Dawson as Director of Coaching on the 990 vs. Fuhs as “Club Director of Coaching” on the website) is worth verifying — likely reflects either a recent transition or a formal-title vs. operational-title distinction. Regional Managing Directors run each geographic branch as a quasi-independent unit, which is uncommon for an independent nonprofit at this scale and resembles a multi-site platform structure.
Competitive Position
The largest independent nonprofit club in Ohio by revenue and the only Ohio independent confirmed promoted to MLS NEXT Homegrown for 2026-27. The statewide footprint via six regional branches differentiates Club Ohio from Columbus-only competitors and creates feeder-like dynamics from outlying markets (Dayton, Marietta, etc.) into the Dublin elite teams. Girls Academy membership added in 2025-26 builds out the girls pathway alongside the existing boys credentials.
Direct head-to-head competition with Ohio Premier in the Dublin/Columbus core. Expansion into Dayton creates overlap with Dayton Dutch Lions; the Marietta outpost faces no significant competitive pressure given the thin youth-soccer landscape in southeastern Ohio.
Industry Context
Club Ohio represents the more recently-built, faster-growing pole of the Columbus independent landscape — newer 501(c)(3) status (2012), a multi-site Managing Director structure that scales operationally beyond the typical single-club geography, and a financial profile that has compounded at ~14% annually for over a decade. The combination of profitability, a healthy balance sheet ($3.2M net assets, modest liabilities), and the 2026-27 MLS NEXT Homegrown promotion is uncommon among Midwestern independents.
The branch model — where each regional Managing Director runs a Dayton, North, East, West, or United program with significant autonomy — functions structurally more like a small platform than a single club. This creates organizational complexity (multiple PNL centers, distributed brand standards) but also makes the club resilient to single-market shocks and gives it expansion optionality without requiring M&A.
The 2025-26 Girls Academy add provides a credible girls credential alongside MLS NEXT for boys, closing the gap with Cincinnati United’s dual-pathway profile in the southwestern Ohio market.
Open Questions
- Who founded the club, and what is the relationship (if any) to predecessor entities?
- What is the governance structure between the central nonprofit and the regional branches — wholly internal divisions, fiscally sponsored programs, or affiliate agreements?
- How does the Dayton expansion interact with Dayton Dutch Lions competitively?
- What drove the MLS NEXT Homegrown promotion — sustained on-field results, infrastructure, league strategic geography, or all three?
- Is there a path to club-owned facility ownership given the strong balance sheet, or is the partner-facility model intentional long-term strategy?