Sporting Springfield
EIN: 43-1934223 · Tax status: 501(c)(3) nonprofit
Overview
Sporting Springfield is the dominant competitive youth soccer club in Springfield, Missouri (southwest MO), serving approximately 600 players. Formed through the merger of Missouri Elite FC and Springfield Soccer Club, the club became an official Sporting Kansas City Academy Affiliate in 2016 — the sixth affiliate club in the state of Missouri — and was named Sporting Club Network Member of the Year in 2022.
The club holds an ECNL Boys affiliation (accepted for the 2022-23 season) and competes across multiple pathways including the Sporting Development League, Heartland Soccer, and NPL. Its top Girls teams compete in ECNL Regional League (Frontier). All other teams play in the MADL (Missouri state league), Midwest Conference, and Lake Country Soccer League.
Legal entity: Springfield Sports Club Inc (EIN 43-1934223), 501(c)(3) since March 2003. Fiscal year ends July. Address: 209 Airport Road, Springfield, MO 65802 (co-located with Allison Sports Town).
Financials
| Year | Revenue | Expenses | Net Assets |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $1,124,897 | $1,356,207 | $2,794,223 |
| FY2024 | $1,211,072 | $1,244,707 | $3,025,533 |
| FY2023 | $2,202,832 | $5,548,467 | $3,059,168 |
| FY2022 | $5,663,902 | $850,645 | $6,404,803 |
| FY2021 | $2,290,891 | $815,877 | $1,591,546 |
| FY2020 | $613,682 | $599,923 | $116,532 |
Source: ProPublica 990 filings, EIN 43-1934223 (HIGH)
Significant financial anomalies in FY2022-2023. Revenue spiked to $5.66M in FY2022 (likely a facility capital campaign or one-time contribution tied to the Allison Sports Town groundbreaking in April 2021) then expenses spiked to $5.55M in FY2023 (likely facility construction costs). Net assets peaked at $6.4M and have since normalized to ~$2.8M. Steady-state operating revenue appears to be $1.1–1.2M annually.
Key personnel compensation (FY2025, 990 filing):
- Eric Sorlie (Executive Director of Coaching): ~$80–90K
Teams & Players
- Approximately 600 players served (MEDIUM — club self-reported)
- Age groups: Juniors (U3–7), Youth Academy (U7–8), Academy (U12–18), and U20/U23 programs
- Boys ECNL teams from U14–U18/19; Girls ECNL-RL Frontier for top girls’ sides
- Second-tier boys’ teams compete in NPL
- Recreational/developmental teams in MADL, Midwest Conference, Lake Country, Heartland
League Affiliations
- ecnl Boys (accepted 2022-23 season, ECNL Heartland Conference)
- ECNL Regional League (Girls — Frontier Conference)
- Sporting Development League (SDL) — Sporting KC’s proprietary development pathway
- Heartland Soccer League
- NPL
- Lake Country Soccer League
- MADL (Missouri state league)
- Midwest Conference
Facilities
Betty & Bobby Allison Sports Town (209 Airport Road, Springfield, MO 65802) — Sporting Springfield’s primary home, opened November 2022. The complex was developed as an $22–30M project (initial budget $22M, later expanded) by SGF Sports LLC, with Crossland Construction as builder and a $3–3.5M philanthropic naming gift from the Betty & Bobby Allison Foundation. The facility spans 82 acres and includes:
- 12 outdoor sports fields (4 turf, 8 natural grass), with seating for ~1,500 spectators
- 94,000 sq ft indoor building: 2 indoor artificial turf soccer fields + 4 basketball/8 volleyball courts, food court, conference rooms
- Serves 1,500+ athletes and families weekly; tenants include Sporting Springfield, 417 Youth Sports, Lighthouse Christian Soccer, MYSL, and others
The FY2022 revenue spike ($5.66M) and FY2023 expense spike ($5.55M) in the 990 filings align with the timeline of Allison Sports Town’s construction and opening, consistent with capital campaign receipts and facility build-out costs flowing through the nonprofit entity.
Leadership
Eric Sorlie — Executive Director of Coaching
Eric Sorlie is the club’s top operational and technical leader. He holds a B.S. from West Texas A&M University and an M.S. from Missouri State University. Sorlie accepted the Sporting Club Network Member of the Year award on the club’s behalf in September 2022. His compensation was approximately $80–90K in FY2025 per 990 filings (HIGH — 990 verified).
Josh Lewis-Evans — Head Coach (Boys ‘06 ECNL)
Josh Lewis-Evans led Sporting Springfield’s ‘06 Boys Atletico Madrid team to the 2023 US Club Soccer National Cup XXII U17 Boys Super Division title, defeating fellow Sporting KC affiliate Sporting Iowa 4-1 in the championship. The Super Division is the most competitive tier in US Club Soccer national competition. This was the club’s first-ever national championship. (Source: Sporting KC Youth Soccer, August 2023)
Christian Silva-Galicia
Staff member listed on the 2025-26 roster page; specific role not confirmed in available sources.
College Placement
Sporting Springfield participates in national college showcase events through its ECNL and NPL pathways, providing college exposure opportunities for Academy-tier players. Specific placement data is not publicly available (LOW confidence).
Competitive Position
Sporting Springfield is the leading competitive club in the Greater Springfield market. Its principal local rival is Southwest MO Rush (SWMO Rush), which competes in ECNL Regional League Girls – Frontier and is affiliated with the national Rush Soccer network. SWMO Rush formed through a merger of Lake Country Soccer, FC Legacy, Magic Soccer Club, and other Springfield-area organizations.
Within the broader Missouri market, Sporting Springfield is significantly smaller than the dominant Kansas City club kc-select ($3.96M revenue, ECNL + DPL) and the major St. Louis clubs. Its ECNL Boys affiliation, however, places it in the highest competitive tier nationally for boys’ pathways, above what most clubs its size achieve.
The 2023 US Club National Cup U17 Boys title is a notable competitive achievement that validates the club’s development quality despite its modest size.
Industry Context
Sporting Springfield operates in a geographically distinctive position within the Missouri youth soccer landscape. Springfield is the third-largest city in Missouri (2026 population: ~171,000) but sits well outside the two dominant metro clusters — St. Louis (~2.8M metro, the historic center of U.S. soccer) and Kansas City (~2.2M metro, anchored by Sporting KC). The result is a smaller, more self-contained market with fewer competing clubs and less direct pressure from the MLS academies that define player development in the two metros.
Sporting KC affiliate network dynamics: Sporting Springfield is one of roughly a dozen clubs in the Sporting Club Network, which includes Sporting Blue Valley, Sporting Brookside, Sporting City, Sporting Columbia, Sporting Iowa, Sporting Kaw Valley, Sporting Lee’s Summit, Sporting Nebraska, Sporting Oklahoma, Sporting Wichita, and Omaha FC. Affiliates gain access to Sporting KC coaching education resources, are part of the club’s broader scouting network, and may participate in the annual Academy Affiliate Friendlies. The SDL (Sporting Development League) is a Sporting KC-created pathway designed specifically to serve this affiliate network with a structured competitive environment below the ECNL level.
Being the sole affiliate in southwest Missouri gives Sporting Springfield a defined regional catchment and a direct pipeline connection to Sporting KC’s MLS Next Academy. However, it also means the club’s elite pathway is tightly linked to one MLS organization’s development philosophy rather than operating independently across multiple pathways. This structural arrangement is in contrast to larger independent clubs such as kc-select in Kansas City, which hold ECNL and DPL franchises independently of any MLS club.
Outstate Missouri context: Springfield and the surrounding Ozarks region represent the primary organized competitive soccer market in outstate Missouri — the geographic area outside the STL and KC metros. The Heartland Soccer League, Lake Country Soccer League, and MADL (Missouri state league) are the dominant recreational and mid-tier competitive structures. SWMO Rush’s recent addition to ECNL-RL Frontier increases competition at the top of the Springfield-area market for the first time, though the two clubs serve somewhat different player pools (competitive ECNL vs. recreational/ECNL-RL).
Allison Sports Town as an anchor asset: The 2021-2022 development of Allison Sports Town ($22–30M project) substantially upgraded Springfield’s soccer infrastructure. The facility’s scale — 82 acres, 12 outdoor fields, 94,000 sq ft indoor building — positions Springfield as a potential regional tournament destination for southwest Missouri and adjacent markets in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.
Financial trajectory: The club’s operating revenue has stabilized at $1.1–1.2M annually after a facility capital campaign cycle in FY2022-23. Net assets of $2.8M (FY2025) represent a meaningful reserve relative to operating scale, suggesting the club is financially stable rather than stressed.
Open Questions
- What is the governance relationship between Springfield Sports Club Inc (the 990 entity) and SGF Sports LLC (the Allison Sports Town developer)? Are they related parties or independent?
- Does Sporting Springfield own any portion of Allison Sports Town, or is it a tenant at a third-party-owned facility?
- What are the lease terms at Allison Sports Town, and how does that affect the club’s cost structure?
- Is there additional compensation data for other staff beyond Eric Sorlie in the 990 filings?
- How does Sporting Springfield’s ECNL Boys franchise interact with the Sporting KC Academy pathway — can players move directly from Sporting Springfield ECNL to the Sporting KC MLS Next Academy?
- What is SWMO Rush’s current enrollment/revenue, and how much competitive overlap exists with Sporting Springfield at the Academy tier?