La Roca FC
Overview
La Roca Futbol Club is Utah’s most successful youth soccer club, established on June 1, 2005, based in South Weber, Utah (northern Wasatch Front, near Ogden). The club operates teams from Logan to St. George across the state, with a proven track record of producing professional and collegiate athletes.
Nonprofit: 501(c)(3). EIN: 20-3851074. Based in Ogden, Utah.
Financials
| Metric | FY2024 (990 filing) |
|---|---|
| Total Revenue | $5,017,532 |
| Total Expenses | $4,634,007 |
| Net Income | $383,525 |
| Total Assets | $471,751 |
| Total Liabilities | $273,301 |
| Net Assets | $198,450 |
Revenue Breakdown:
- Program services: $4,710,611 (93.9%)
- Rental property income: $256,176 (5.1%)
- Contributions: $50,745 (1.0%)
Expense Breakdown:
- Salaries & wages: $2,357,542 (50.9%)
- Executive compensation: $264,856 (5.7%)
Financial Assessment: Revenue of $5M is strong, but the balance sheet is remarkably thin — only $198K in net assets and $472K total assets on $5M revenue. This means the club owns very few fixed assets and operates on a lean asset-light model. Salary expense at 51% is typical for coaching-intensive operations. Rental property income ($256K) suggests some facility assets despite the thin balance sheet. Executive comp at $265K is in line with club size. (HIGH confidence on numbers, MEDIUM on sustainability assessment)
Net assets of $198K on $5M revenue is a red flag — very little financial cushion. One bad season or major unexpected expense could create financial distress.
Teams & Players
- Teams from Logan to St. George (statewide coverage)
- 30 professional athletes produced
- 460+ collegiate players
- ECNL, ECNL-RL, and DPL participation
League Affiliations
- ecnl — Northwest Conference (Girls); Mountain Conference (Boys)
- ECNL-RL — Additional teams
- DPL — Development Player League
Facilities
- La Roca Park — Indoor training facility
- Zions Bank Real Academy — Used for training/games (shared with RSL)
- Rental property income ($256K) suggests some facility assets
Competitive Position
La Roca is the #1 independent club in Utah and one of the top ECNL programs in the Northwest Conference:
Strengths:
- $5M revenue — largest independent club in Utah
- 30 professional athletes, 460+ collegiate players — best development record in state
- ECNL membership — institutional credibility
- Statewide coverage (Logan to St. George)
- Rental property income diversifies revenue
Weaknesses:
- $198K net assets — extremely thin balance sheet
- Asset-light model leaves little margin for error
- 51% salary expense — high coaching cost structure
- South Weber/Ogden base is secondary to SLC metro
- Competes with RSL Academy for top MLS-aspirant talent
Leadership
- Adolfo Ovalle — Founder & Technical Director (founded club June 2005; oversaw growth to one of the top ECNL programs in the Northwest)
- Heidi Wheelwright — Director of Operations (North Region)
- Laura Coffee — Assistant Director of Operations (North Region)
- Ariel Bravo — Director of Coaching (North Region)
- Ahmed Bakrim — Director of Coaching (Salt Lake Region)
- Emily Davies — Director of Operations (Salt Lake City / Spanish Fork)
- Platini Soaf — Director of Coaching (Utah County)
- Ivan Sanchez — Director of Coaching (Southern Utah)
- César Botero — Director of Human Performance
- Maria Ignacia Carrasco — Collections Manager
Source: La Roca FC staff directory (May 2026) (HIGH)
Industry Context
La Roca is the largest independent club in Utah, operating at $5M in annual revenue with ECNL memberships in both Northwest (Girls) and Mountain (Boys) conferences — giving it the broadest national-pathway coverage of any independent Utah club. Founded in 2005 by Adolfo Ovalle with a philosophy of bringing high-level technical development to northern Utah, La Roca has grown from a small Ogden-area club into a statewide program with regional hubs from Logan to St. George.
The club’s statewide multi-region structure (North/Ogden, Salt Lake, Utah County, Spanish Fork, Southern Utah) mirrors how Utah’s population is distributed along the extended north-south Wasatch Front corridor. Managing five regional coaching and operations teams — each with a Director of Coaching and Director of Operations — creates meaningful organizational complexity but allows La Roca to compete for players across a geography that would otherwise fragment into independent local clubs.
Utah Avalanche is La Roca’s primary ECNL-tier competitor, serving the southern SLC/Draper corridor where La Roca’s Salt Lake region also operates. The two clubs divide the Wasatch Front market geographically more than they directly overlap, but at the highest competitive levels (ECNL National showcases, college recruiting events), they compete for the same pool of top-tier Utah players. RSL Academy operates at the MLS Next / MLS Next Pro tier and captures the subset of players prioritizing a professional pathway over the college-focused ECNL route.
The thin balance sheet ($198K net assets on $5M revenue) is the most notable financial characteristic of La Roca’s profile. The $264,856 in executive compensation (FY2024) is consistent with founder-operator structures where the founding Technical Director takes market-rate compensation for a program of this scale. The rental property income ($256K) suggests meaningful facility asset ownership — La Roca Park (indoor facility) is the most likely source — despite the club’s overall asset-light balance sheet.
Open Questions
- Why are net assets so thin ($198K) on $5M revenue? Is this intentional reinvestment or financial strain?
- What does the rental property income ($256K) represent? La Roca Park ownership vs. subleasing?
- What is the relationship with RSL Academy regarding facility sharing and talent flow at Zions Bank Real Academy?
- What is the founder/leadership succession plan given Adolfo Ovalle’s central role?