Virginia Valor FC

EIN: 86-2652074 · Tax status: 501(c)(3) nonprofit (recognized June 2022)

Overview

Virginia Valor FC is a youth soccer nonprofit based in Chantilly, Virginia (western Fairfax County). The club was formed in 2021 through the merger of the travel programs of Chantilly Youth Association (CYA) and Southwestern Youth Association (SYA), creating a consolidated competitive operator for the Chantilly / Centreville / South Riding catchment. The legal entity (Virginia Valor FC LLC, despite the LLC suffix in the legal name) received 501(c)(3) tax exemption in June 2022.

The club is one of the youngest organizations in the NOVA dataset by formation date but has scaled rapidly: ~$2.9M revenue in its third full fiscal year is among the larger competitive-only club operations in Virginia.

Financials

MetricFY2025 (ending June)
Revenue$2,923,159
Expenses$2,900,074
Net income$23,085
Net assets$108,414
Total assets$1,212,440
Total liabilities$1,104,026

Confidence: HIGH (Form 990, FY2025).

The club operates with a thin balance sheet — $108K net assets on $2.9M revenue (~14 days of operating runway). Total liabilities of $1.1M against $1.2M in total assets indicates a leveraged operating model.

Program services drive 97.9% of revenue. Salaries and wages account for 53.4% of expenses ($1.55M). The combination of high revenue scale, near-balanced operating result, and minimal reserves describes a high-throughput, low-margin model.

Teams & Players

Player count not directly disclosed in the 990. The competitive-only programming and ~$2.9M revenue suggests roughly 1,500–2,500 travel/competitive players assuming standard NOVA fee structures.

League Affiliations

Virginia Valor is unusual in being a member of both of NOVA’s elite alliance structures (FVU + NVA), giving its top players access to ECNL, MLS Next, and Girls Academy via partner-routing rather than holding any of those franchises directly.

Facilities

  • CYA Fieldhouse — indoor training facility (inherited from the Chantilly Youth Association merger)
  • Public school and county fields across Chantilly / Centreville / South Riding

The CYA Fieldhouse indoor capability is a structural asset that distinguishes Valor from most NOVA competitive-only peers, who rent indoor time during winter.

Leadership

  • Jeff Stein — President / Director (FY2025: $135,836 in related compensation reported as Mark Abbott)
  • Paul Ellis — Technical Director (FY2025 compensation $114,282)
  • Mark Abbott — Director ($135,836 related comp + $14,334 other)
  • Gary Flather — Director ($95,000 related compensation)

The presence of multiple Directors with six-figure related compensation suggests a board structure that includes operating-role compensation rather than pure governance — consistent with a recently-merged organization absorbing legacy CYA/SYA leadership.

Fees

  • $3,050/year (U9–U19 travel)
  • $950/year (U8 academy)

Travel fees of $3,050 are at the upper end of the NOVA market — consistent with a competitive-only club lacking the recreational cross-subsidy that nonprofit community clubs use to offset competitive program costs.

Competitive Position

Virginia Valor competes in the upper-mid tier of the NOVA market. Its dual membership in FVU and NVA gives top players multi-pathway access without the club holding any direct national-league franchise. This positions Valor as a feeder/partner club rather than a standalone elite competitor — distinct from independently-franchised peers like Arlington Soccer, VDA, or McLean that hold their own ECNL or MLS Next berths.

Industry Context

Virginia Valor illustrates the alliance-partnership model that has become a structural feature of the NOVA market: rather than build (or buy) ECNL or MLS Next franchise rights independently, smaller and mid-sized clubs join multi-club alliances (FVU, NVA) where the alliance holds the franchise and member clubs nominate teams. This model lowers the entry cost to elite-pathway programming but introduces governance complexity (revenue sharing, roster decisions, brand identity) that does not exist in single-franchise clubs.

The Valor balance sheet — $108K net assets, ~50% leverage — reflects the financial cost of building a competitive operation from a 2021 merger in three years: meaningful payroll, indoor facility, dual-alliance fees, and minimal accumulated reserves. The model is workable while enrollment grows, but is structurally vulnerable to enrollment dips or NOVA’s intensifying club competition.

Open Questions

  • Travel/competitive player count
  • CYA Fieldhouse ownership / lease structure
  • Detailed FVU and NVA fee structures and revenue-share terms
  • Whether Valor is exploring direct ECNL or MLS Next franchise application
  • Long-term governance — is the multi-Director paid-comp model post-merger transitional?