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utah-avalanche

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Utah Avalanche

Overview

Utah Avalanche Soccer Club is a long-standing ECNL member club based in Draper, Utah (south Salt Lake City metro). The girls’ program joined ECNL in 2009 as part of the original 62-club selection, and the boys’ program was accepted in 2020. In 2023, Utah Avalanche was ranked in the Top 10 ECNL clubs nationally.

Nonprofit: EIN 87-0679173 (Foundation entity — “Utah Avalanche Girls Soccer Club Foundation”). There may be a separate operating entity.

Financials

Financial data from the Foundation entity (EIN: 87-0679173) needs to be retrieved. Operating financials may be under a different entity.

The ProPublica listing is for "Utah Avalanche Girls Soccer Club Foundation" — this may be a supporting foundation rather than the operating entity. Operating financials could be higher.

Teams & Players

  • Girls ECNL: U13-U18/19 (Northwest Conference — UT, CO, ID, WA, OR)
  • Boys ECNL: Since 2020 (Mountain Conference — UT, AZ, NM, CO)
  • Boys ECNL-RL
  • Top 10 ECNL club nationally (2023)

League Affiliations

  • ecnl — Girls (since 2009, original member) + Boys (since 2020)
  • ECNL-RL — Boys Regional League

Facilities

Club facilities in Draper, UT (south SLC metro). Specific facility details not confirmed.

Competitive Position

Utah Avalanche is the premier ECNL club in Utah, with particular strength on the girls’ side:

Strengths:

  • Original ECNL girls member (2009) — institutional credibility
  • Top 10 national ECNL ranking (2023) — elite competitive results
  • Boys ECNL since 2020 — growing program
  • Draper location — affluent south SLC suburb
  • Geographically complements La Roca (north Wasatch) vs. Avalanche (south SLC)

Weaknesses:

  • Financial profile unclear (Foundation entity may not reflect operating scale)
  • Newer boys program (since 2020) — less established than girls
  • Competes with RSL Academy for top SLC-area talent

Leadership

  • Joanna Barney — Founder & Executive Director (founded the club in 2001)
  • David Newman — Executive Director (oversees daily operations; may be current title)
  • Jimmie Powell — Director of Coaching (National A License)
  • Regional Area Directors for Davis/Weber, Salt Lake, Salt Lake West, Utah County
  • Specialist leads for ECNL, recruiting, and recreation in Davis County

Source: Utah Avalanche website / publicly available staff directory (May 2026) (MEDIUM — dual Executive Director listing may reflect a transition; verification needed)

Industry Context

Utah Avalanche is the original and most credentialed ECNL club in Utah. The girls’ program joined ECNL in 2009 as part of the founding cohort of 62 clubs — the only Utah club in that group — giving the organization more than 15 years of institutional standing within the national elite pathway. The boys’ program joined ECNL in 2020, accelerating the club’s comprehensive competitive offering. The 2023 Top 10 national ECNL ranking further validates the girls’ program quality, not just structural membership.

Utah’s elite youth soccer market is effectively a two-club story at the top: Utah Avalanche (ECNL, southern SLC metro / Draper) and la-roca-fc (ECNL, northern Wasatch / South Weber-Ogden). The two clubs serve geographically distinct population centers and draw from different demographic bases, but they compete directly for the state’s top players in the U13-U19 elite tier. RSL Academy operates at the MLS Next / MLS Next Pro level and captures the MLS-aspiring talent segment, but does not directly substitute for ECNL clubs in the eyes of college-pathway families.

The club’s multi-region structure — covering Utah County, Sandy/Draper, Herriman/Bluffdale, Davis/Weber County, and Cache Valley — mirrors La Roca FC’s statewide ambitions, and reflects the reality that Utah’s population is spread across a long north-south Wasatch Front corridor rather than concentrated in a single metropolitan core. Managing five regional hubs requires decentralized coaching and operations capacity, which the Director of Coaching and regional area director structure is designed to address.

The Foundation entity (EIN 87-0679173) listed on ProPublica is described as “Utah Avalanche Girls Soccer Club Foundation” — a supporting entity that may hold endowment or facility assets rather than operating revenue. The club’s full operating financial profile is likely captured under a different entity. This distinction matters when assessing the club’s actual revenue and balance sheet.

Open Questions

  • What is the operating entity EIN and financial profile (distinct from Foundation EIN 87-0679173)?
  • What is the facility situation — owned or leased? Specific venue in Draper?
  • What is the competitive relationship with La Roca — cooperative or adversarial?
  • Is the dual Executive Director listing (Joanna Barney / David Newman) a transition situation?
  • How many total players across all programs and regions?

Graph View

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