Villarreal Virginia Academy
EIN: 82-5039054 · Tax status: 501(c)(3) nonprofit (recognized March 2022)
Overview
Villarreal CF Virginia Academy is a youth soccer nonprofit based in Springfield, Virginia (with secondary operations in Leesburg), founded in 2018 as the official US East Coast affiliate of Villarreal CF — a La Liga side known for its youth-academy model in Spain. The legal entity received 501(c)(3) tax exemption in March 2022. The Villarreal CF affiliation provides curriculum, branding, and methodology — distinct from independent NOVA clubs that operate without an international parent affiliation.
The club is one of the smallest competitive operators in the FVU alliance by revenue, with a model that emphasizes the European-academy methodology brand position rather than scale.
Financials
| Metric | FY2025 (ending June) | FY2024 reference |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $1,141,895 | ~$1.04M |
| Expenses | $1,051,715 | ~$1.04M |
| Net income | $90,180 | ~$0 |
| Net assets | $86,878 | -$3,302 |
| Total assets | $701,819 | — |
| Total liabilities | $614,941 | — |
Confidence: HIGH (Form 990, FY2025 filed February 2026).
Net assets recovered to $87K in FY2025 from -$3K in FY2024 (negative). Total liabilities of $615K against $702K assets indicates a leveraged operating model with meaningful obligations relative to a sub-$1.2M revenue base.
Program services drive 99.7% of revenue. Executive compensation (Aranda + Amato together) is $248,000 — 23.6% of total expenses, which is unusually high.
Teams & Players
Player count not directly disclosed. Competitive-only programming on $1.1M revenue at NOVA fee structures suggests roughly 400–700 players.
League Affiliations
- Fairfax Virginia Union (FVU) alliance — provides ECNL access through alliance partnership
- VPSL / ECNL Regional League (independent participation)
- NCSL
- UPSL — adult amateur tier (signals depth of programming through senior amateur)
Facilities
Public school and county fields in the Springfield / Burke / Leesburg areas. The club does not own dedicated facilities.
Leadership
- Carlos Aranda — Technical Director & Board Chair (FY2025 compensation $124,000)
- Anthony Amato — Executive Director (FY2025 compensation $124,000)
The two-executive equal-pay structure is distinctive. The combined $248K on $1.05M expense base is a high executive compensation ratio for a club at this revenue scale, reflecting the imported-methodology brand model that requires senior on-field leadership.
Fees
$2,140–$2,670 per player.
Fee range is mid-pack for NOVA — below independent FVU/ECNL clubs but consistent with the broader competitive market. The Villarreal brand affiliation does not appear to support a fee premium over peer clubs.
Competitive Position
Villarreal Virginia sits in the lower-mid tier of NOVA competitive clubs by revenue (~$1.1M), differentiated by the ECNL-RL participation, FVU alliance membership, and the imported Villarreal CF brand. The competitive market in southern Fairfax County is dense — LMVSC (Alexandria/Mount Vernon), FVU member clubs, and SYA/CYA legacy operators (now Virginia Valor) all compete for the same pool of competitive families.
Industry Context
Villarreal Virginia represents the European-club affiliate model as it appears in the US youth-soccer market: a small competitive club licensing branding and curriculum from a top-flight European parent (in this case Villarreal CF, a La Liga club with a respected youth academy). Similar models exist via Barca Academy, Real Madrid Foundation clinics, and various Manchester City Football Schools.
The economics of the model in NOVA appear constrained: the Villarreal brand does not support a fee premium over peer clubs, executive compensation is high relative to revenue (23.6%), and the balance sheet remains thin ($87K net assets, $615K liabilities). The 990 trajectory suggests financial stabilization in FY2025 after a negative-net-asset position in FY2024, which is meaningful — but the structural question is whether the model can scale or whether it caps out at boutique academy size in the dense NOVA competitive market.
The FVU alliance membership is the operational lifeline for elite-pathway players, allowing Villarreal Virginia to offer ECNL exposure without holding a franchise.
Open Questions
- Player count and team count
- Detailed terms of the Villarreal CF affiliate license (fees, scope, exclusivity)
- Source of $615K liabilities — long-term debt vs trade payables vs deferred revenue
- Long-term sustainability of the dual-executive equal-pay structure
- Whether the club is exploring growth into the Leesburg / Loudoun catchment in earnest