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13

Oct, 2024

Report to Membership

Greater Grand Forks Soccer Club 2024 Report to Membership

The GGFSC Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday, December 15, 2024, at 4:00 pm in the Community Room at Choice Health & Fitness.  Election of officers for open Board of Directors positions will take place at that meeting.  Please attend if you can.  If you are interested in running for an elected office, appointment as a Committee Chair, or placement on a committee, please apply by completing the following form:  Greater Grand Forks Soccer Club (GGFSC) (google.com) Anyone intending to run for an elected position must complete this form. Positions open for election to the Executive Board, along with a description of each position from the by-laws, include:

President: The president shall preside at all meetings; shall have general supervision over the affairs of GGFSC and over other officers; and shall perform all other duties incident to the office.

Secretary: The secretary shall assist the Club Administrator with the meeting minutes of all meetings; handle all correspondence except for registration materials; arrange for meeting sites; and perform all other duties incident to the office. The secretary shall maintain current policy and procedures, strategic planning, bylaws, and annual meeting and election notifications for the club.

Communications Director: The communications director is responsible for guidance and maintenance and updates of the club website, social media, distribution of general club emails and announcements, and shall assist the Club Administrator with posting registration information for GGFSC programming and advertisement of programs and perform all other duties incident to the office.

Committee Chairs are additional Board positions appointed on an annual basis. These include: 

  • Fundraising Coordinator

  • Grand Forks Tournament Director (receives a $2,000 stipend)

  • Equipment Coordinator

  • Fields/Facilities Coordinator

Here are some updates to recap the year. 

Club Administration and Office Hours: The GGFSC office is located at 1407 24th Ave S, Ste # 328. Our office is open Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:00-7:00pm and we can assist with registrations, uniforms, payments, scholarship applications and more in person.  Enter through the doors on the South side of the building.

A sign in front of a building
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As our club matures we continue to add staff to key positions. Most recently, Adam Fortwengler has accepted the position of Director of Academy & Development. Here is a list of current regular staff members and their contact info:

In addition, I am happy to note that Jennifer Holter has agreed to an appointment to the Registrar position on the Board of Directors through 2025. We are grateful for the work of all of our staff and board members and are excited to bring Adam onto the team to focus on development and growth of our academy programs. 

Indoor Facilities Initiative:  As you recall, last year the citizens of Grand Forks voted to extend the 0.75% sales tax that currently funds the Alerus Center debt and capital needs to build the Altru Indoor Sports and Aquatics Center (AISAC). The City Council recently gave approval to move forward with the  design of the facility, which includes a high school regulation size turf field among other amenities. GGFSC has been involved in the collaborative process that has been facilitated by the City, the Park District and the project team.  If you get a chance, please thank your City Council representatives and staff for their leadership on this important project for the citizens of Grand Forks. Additionally, funding for all desired amenities is currently falling short of the estimated cost. If you know of potential funding options that may have not been explored yet by the City and/or project team, please send a note to [email protected] and someone will be in touch. 

Local Partnerships: We couldn’t run our programming without our partnership with the Grand Forks Park District.  The District maintains the South Bowl, Scheels, and Bringewatt complexes using usage fees paid by the GGFSC per player for each program.  GGFSC rents the Frederick “Fritz” D. Pollard, Jr, Athletic Center at UND for our winter programming, also partners with the Grand Forks School District for the use of their facilities when needed. We appreciate the collaborative relationship we have with the owners of these facilities.

In the past year we have also developed a relationship with Grand Forks Sports Academy. This business provides specialized soccer training for athletes of all ages. We have retained the Sports Academy for specific services such as development of a draft curriculum and on-call coaching support. We see this partnership as mutually beneficial and will continue to develop this relationship to minimize schedule conflicts and maximize growth opportunities for GGFSC athletes.    

Strategic Initiatives:  We are entering the third year of work on our strategic initiatives as a club. These are short- and long-term efforts to continue to improve the quality of our programs and strengthen numbers as we work with our partners to grow the sport in Grand Forks. The initiatives are outlined below, along with an update on each. 

  • Recruitment, Education and Certification of Coaches and Officials:  The number of coaches available to the club continues to grow as our Director of Coaching continues to develop relationships. The addition of a Director of Academy and Development will provide further support in this area. In particular, we plan to utilize winter programming to simultaneously work on coaching certification. 

  • Facilities:  As noted, the GGFSC is actively engaged in planning discussions related to the AISAC facility that will include indoor turf. In the interim, our winter and spring programming will continue to utilize the Fritz Pollard High Performance Center at UND. Long-term initiatives will also involve additional outdoor field space.

  • GGFSC Summer Competitive Tournament:  Our annual tournament continues to be a success, and we were pleased to have Canadian teams return for the first time since the pandemic. Summer Competitive is the most expensive program that we operate due primarily to coaching costs (essential!) and tournament registration fees. As a result, our summer tournament is critical to cash-flowing our competitive program. Thanks to the effort of our generous sponsors and volunteers, the net profit for the club was approximately $30,000. This translates to roughly $70 for each volunteer hour worked. Thank you to all parents and family/friends that helped with this successful weekend!

  • Fundraising and Scholarships:  It has been several years since we have had a dedicated Fundraising Committee Chair.  However, in addition to tournament sponsorships, we have received donations from Scheels and individual donations to our scholarship fund. By shifting the operation of the Bringewatt concession stand away from a contractor back to the club, we have increased our revenue stream to fund scholarships and offset overall programming costs. 

  • Player Recruitment, Programming and Advancement:  An on-going topic to be tackled in 2025 is programming. 

    • The past two years we have offered a reduced summer competitive schedule for our youngest players to offer a pathway for kids to try out the competitive experience with limited travel and expense. We have viewed this as successful as participation numbers have been high. We will continue to evaluate this annually based on feedback from families. 

    • The addition of a Director of Academy and Development begins to address a goal we have to establish a rigorous and consistent curriculum for the academy programs. We look forward to working with Adam to make progress toward this goal.

    • GGFSC athletes have the opportunity to participate in the Olympic Development Program (ODF) through Dakota ODP. We will continue to promote this great opportunity for Grand Forks athletes.    

  • Lastly, as part of the strategic planning activities we have been working to clean up our policies/procedures and by-laws to better reflect the current state of our club. To clarify practices and governing procedures, I will call for a vote to adopt amended by-laws at the monthly meeting of the Board of Directors on October 21st at 7 pm at the GGFSC office.  The proposed changes can be found on our website. All members are invited to attend.  

A Look Ahead to 2025 and a Fond Farewell:  Looking ahead, the Board of Directors will begin the new year with a focus on strategic planning at the January Board Meeting. Monthly meetings are scheduled for the third Monday of the month at 7:00 or 7:30 pm depending on the season, unless otherwise advertised on our website. The time varies, so please check the website for the most current meeting info. Members are always welcome to attend, and we welcome your input through email at [email protected].

The 2025 Board of Directors will have some new faces, as Kim Pedersen and I will both be stepping away from leadership roles in the club. Kari Johnson, whose position as Secretary is up for re-election this year, is seeking re-election to a position on the Board. I would like to thank both Kim, Kari and all current board members for their service. I’d also like to thank past board members and the membership for your support and engagement during my time on the Board of Directors. 

Thank you for being a member of the GGFSC. I look forward to welcoming a new President in January and watching as the board continues its good work for the betterment of soccer opportunities in the Greater Grand Forks Area!  

Miranda Kleven

President, GGFSC


Field Status

Open Open

UND High Performance Center (10:34 PM | 04/11/19)

Open Open

North (10:34 PM | 04/11/19)

Open Open

South (10:34 PM | 04/11/19)

Open Open

North Field (06:02 PM | 04/13/19)

Open Open

South Field (06:02 PM | 04/13/19)

Open Open

Yankton Trail Park (11:16 AM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

1A (11:20 AM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

3A (11:20 AM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

3B (11:20 AM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

8 (11:20 AM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

4 (11:20 AM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

Rustad Center (11:31 PM | 01/18/20)

Open Open

Field A (11:35 PM | 01/18/20)

Open Open

Field B (11:35 PM | 01/18/20)

Open Open

Storm Shelter (11:33 PM | 01/18/20)

Open Open

1 South (11:35 PM | 01/18/20)

Open Open

1 North (11:35 PM | 01/18/20)

Open Open

Dome (10:31 PM | 02/18/20)

Open Open

1 (10:31 PM | 02/18/20)

Open Open

2 (10:31 PM | 02/18/20)

Open Open

3 (10:31 PM | 02/18/20)

Open Open

Ed Clapp Park (04:56 PM | 07/06/20)

Open Open

East (04:56 PM | 07/06/20)

Open Open

West (11:50 AM | 07/12/20)

Open Open

test (08:14 AM | 07/16/20)

Open Open

test 1 (08:16 AM | 07/16/20)

Open Open

Williamson Park (11:34 AM | 05/28/21)

Open Open

Field 1 South (11:34 AM | 05/28/21)

Open Open

Field 1 North (04:24 PM | 05/28/22)

Open Open

Big Willow Park (Minnetonka) (12:38 AM | 06/06/21)

Open Open

Field 1 (12:38 AM | 06/06/21)

Open Open

Rendezvous Park (West Fargo) (08:26 PM | 06/14/21)

Open Open

Field 1 (08:27 PM | 06/14/21)

Open Open

Midway School (08:20 PM | 04/09/22)

Open Open

Field 1 (08:20 PM | 04/09/22)

Open Open

National Sports Center (08:26 PM | 06/06/22)

Open Open

Field 1 (08:26 PM | 06/06/22)

Open Open

1 (08:30 PM | 06/06/22)

Open Open

2 (08:30 PM | 06/06/22)

Open Open

4 (08:30 PM | 06/06/22)

Open Open

13 (08:30 PM | 06/06/22)

Open Open

15 (08:30 PM | 06/06/22)

Open Open

21 (08:30 PM | 06/06/22)

Open Open

23 (08:30 PM | 06/06/22)

Open Open

26 (08:30 PM | 06/06/22)

Open Open

27 (08:30 PM | 06/06/22)

Open Open

28 (08:30 PM | 06/06/22)

Open Open

30 (08:30 PM | 06/06/22)

Open Open

31 (08:30 PM | 06/06/22)

Open Open

48 (08:30 PM | 06/06/22)

Open Open

49 (08:30 PM | 06/06/22)

Open Open

53 (08:30 PM | 06/06/22)

Open Open

54 (08:30 PM | 06/06/22)

Open Open

18N (08:30 PM | 06/06/22)

Open Open

18S (08:30 PM | 06/06/22)

Open Open

20N (08:30 PM | 06/06/22)

Open Open

20S (08:30 PM | 06/06/22)

Open Open

57N (08:30 PM | 06/06/22)

Open Open

57S (08:30 PM | 06/06/22)

Open Open

5S (08:30 PM | 06/06/22)

Open Open

62 Stadium Field South (08:30 PM | 06/06/22)

Open Open

65N (08:30 PM | 06/06/22)

Open Open

65S (08:30 PM | 06/06/22)

Open Open

66N (08:30 PM | 06/06/22)

Open Open

66S (08:30 PM | 06/06/22)

Open Open

6S (08:30 PM | 06/06/22)

Open Open

7N (08:30 PM | 06/06/22)

Open Open

UND Memorial Stadium (08:51 PM | 04/23/23)

Open Open

Field 1 (08:51 PM | 04/23/23)

Open Open

Manvel School (11:49 PM | 04/27/23)

Open Open

Field 1 (11:49 PM | 04/27/23)

Open Open

Any Field (12:01 AM | 04/28/23)

Open Open

Masonic Park (11:08 PM | 08/24/24)

Open Open

Any Field (11:08 PM | 08/24/24)

Open Open

Indoor Gym (06:02 PM | 04/13/19)

Open Open

Hyslop Gym (06:09 PM | 04/13/19)

Open Open

Field E (06:52 PM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

Field B (06:52 PM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

Field F (06:52 PM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

Field C (06:52 PM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

Field D (06:52 PM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

Field G (06:52 PM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

Field K (06:52 PM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

Field M (06:52 PM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

Field L (06:52 PM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

Field N (06:52 PM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

Field P (06:52 PM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

Field O (06:52 PM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

Field 8 (EFGH) (06:52 PM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

Field 9 (IJKL) (06:52 PM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

Field 10 (06:52 PM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

Field 11 (06:52 PM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

Field 12 (06:52 PM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

Field 8 South (practice) (06:52 PM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

Field 8 North (practice) (06:52 PM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

Field 9 South (practice) (06:52 PM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

Field 9 North (practice) (06:52 PM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

Field 11 West (Practice) (06:52 PM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

Field 11 East (Practice) (06:52 PM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

Field 12 West (Practice) (06:52 PM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

Field 12 East (Practice) (06:52 PM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

Field 13 West (Practice) (06:52 PM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

Field 13 East (Practice) (06:52 PM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

Field H (12:23 AM | 06/15/20)

Open Open

Field I (12:23 AM | 06/15/20)

Open Open

Field J (12:23 AM | 06/15/20)

Open Open

Field A (01:14 PM | 08/30/20)

Open Open

Field 13 (06:47 PM | 08/30/20)

Open Open

Field 4 Northeast (08:04 PM | 04/09/22)

Open Open

Field 4 Northwest (08:04 PM | 04/09/22)

Open Open

Field 4 Southeast (08:04 PM | 04/09/22)

Open Open

Field 4 Southwest (08:04 PM | 04/09/22)

Open Open

Field 6 Northeast (08:04 PM | 04/09/22)

Open Open

Field 6 Northwest (08:04 PM | 04/09/22)

Open Open

Field 6 Southeast (08:04 PM | 04/09/22)

Open Open

Field 6 Southwest (08:04 PM | 04/09/22)

Open Open

Field 10 East (Practice) (05:12 PM | 05/28/22)

Open Open

Field 10 West (Practice) (05:12 PM | 05/28/22)

Open Open

Field 2 SE (Practice) (06:34 PM | 08/19/22)

Open Open

Field 2 SW (Practice) (06:34 PM | 08/19/22)

Open Open

Field 2 NW (Practice) (06:34 PM | 08/19/22)

Open Open

Field 2 NE (Practice) (06:34 PM | 08/19/22)

Open Open

Field 4 SE (Practice) (06:34 PM | 08/19/22)

Open Open

Field 4 SW (Practice) (06:34 PM | 08/19/22)

Open Open

Field 4 NW (Practice) (06:34 PM | 08/19/22)

Open Open

Field 4 NE (Practice) (06:34 PM | 08/19/22)

Open Open

Field 6 SE (Practice) (06:34 PM | 08/19/22)

Open Open

Field 6 SW (Practice) (06:34 PM | 08/19/22)

Open Open

Field 6 NW (Practice) (06:34 PM | 08/19/22)

Open Open

Field 6 NE (Practice) (06:34 PM | 08/19/22)

Open Open

Field 10 North (practice) (11:22 PM | 08/20/24)

Open Open

Field 11 North (practice) (11:22 PM | 08/20/24)

Open Open

Field 12 North (practice) (11:22 PM | 08/20/24)

Open Open

Field 10 South (practice) (11:22 PM | 08/20/24)

Open Open

Field 11 South (practice) (11:22 PM | 08/20/24)

Open Open

Field 12 South (practice) (11:22 PM | 08/20/24)

Open Open

Any Field 2 (05:33 PM | 08/30/20)

Open Open

Any Field 3 (01:41 AM | 04/08/21)

Open Open

Any Field 2 (05:33 PM | 08/30/20)

Open Open

Any Field 2 (05:33 PM | 08/30/20)

Open Open

Any Field 3 (01:41 AM | 04/08/21)

Open Open

Field 31 East (practice) (10:33 PM | 05/01/19)

Open Open

Field 32 East (practice) (10:33 PM | 05/01/19)

Open Open

Field 32 West (practice) (10:33 PM | 05/01/19)

Open Open

Field 33 East (practice) (10:33 PM | 05/01/19)

Open Open

Field 33 West (practice) (10:33 PM | 05/01/19)

Open Open

Field 31 West (practice) (10:56 PM | 05/01/19)

Open Open

Field 34 (06:58 PM | 08/22/19)

Open Open

Field 34 North (practice) (11:53 PM | 09/03/19)

Open Open

Field 34 South (practice) (11:53 PM | 09/03/19)

Open Open

Field 41 (11:50 PM | 07/13/20)

Open Open

Field 42 (11:50 PM | 07/13/20)

Open Open

Field 41 West (Practice) (05:38 PM | 07/15/20)

Open Open

Any Field 2 (05:33 PM | 08/30/20)

Open Open

Any Field 3 (01:41 AM | 04/08/21)

Open Open

Field 5S (11:13 PM | 07/15/20)

Open Open

Field 5N (11:13 PM | 07/15/20)

Open Open

Field 8N (11:42 PM | 05/24/21)

Open Open

Field 8S (12:12 AM | 06/16/21)

Open Open

Unknown (08:46 PM | 06/19/21)

Open Open

Hillcrest 11v11 (10:57 AM | 07/12/20)

Open Open

Field 7N (05:42 PM | 06/10/19)

Open Open

Field 7S (05:42 PM | 06/10/19)

Open Open

Field 9 (05:42 PM | 06/10/19)

Open Open

Any Field 2 (05:33 PM | 08/30/20)

Open Open

Field 10 (04:54 PM | 07/06/20)

Open Open

Field 9 (04:54 PM | 07/06/20)

Open Open

Field 2 (11:36 PM | 05/24/21)

Open Open

Field 1 (10:53 PM | 07/07/20)

Open Open

Field 2 (10:53 PM | 07/07/20)

Open Open

Field 3 (10:53 PM | 07/07/20)

Open Open

Field 4 (10:53 PM | 07/07/20)

Open Open

Hillcrest (10:53 PM | 07/07/20)

Open Open

UJ Turf (10:53 PM | 07/07/20)

Open Open

Field 2 (12:37 AM | 06/06/21)

Open Open

Field 9 (Upper Turf) (12:40 AM | 06/06/21)

Open Open

Field A (12:03 AM | 06/06/21)

Open Open

Field B (12:03 AM | 06/06/21)

Open Open

Field 21 (12:03 AM | 06/06/21)

Open Open

Field 22 (12:03 AM | 06/06/21)

Open Open

Field 23 (12:03 AM | 06/06/21)

Open Open

Field 10A (02:56 PM | 07/17/19)

Open Open

Field 10B (02:56 PM | 07/17/19)

Open Open

Field 9A (03:51 PM | 07/17/19)

Open Open

Field 9B (03:51 PM | 07/17/19)

Open Open

Field 8 (03:51 PM | 07/17/19)

Open Open

Field 2A (03:51 PM | 07/17/19)

Open Open

Field 2B (03:51 PM | 07/17/19)

Open Open

Field 3A (03:51 PM | 07/17/19)

Open Open

Field 3B (03:51 PM | 07/17/19)

Open Open

Field 8A (10:03 PM | 07/13/21)

Open Open

Field 1A (10:03 PM | 07/13/21)

Open Open

Field 1B (10:03 PM | 07/13/21)

Open Open

Field 8B (10:03 PM | 07/13/21)

Open Open

Field 3 (10:03 PM | 07/13/21)

Open Open

Field 9 (10:03 PM | 07/13/21)

Partially Open Partially Open

Hyslop Sports Complex (10:44 AM | 01/11/19)

Closed Closed

Bringewatt Park (10:45 AM | 01/11/19)

Closed Closed

South Middle School (10:45 AM | 01/11/19)

Closed Closed

Optimist Park (10:45 AM | 01/11/19)

Closed Closed

Kelly School (10:45 AM | 01/11/19)

Closed Closed

Ben Franklin School (10:45 AM | 01/11/19)

Closed Closed

Lions Park/Century School (10:45 AM | 01/11/19)

Closed Closed

Scheels Sports Complex (10:45 AM | 01/11/19)

Closed Closed

University Park/Valley Middle School (10:45 AM | 01/11/19)

Closed Closed

Lake Agassiz School (10:45 AM | 01/11/19)

Closed Closed

Elks Park/Lewis and Clark School (10:45 AM | 01/11/19)

Closed Closed

North Kiwanis Park (10:45 AM | 01/11/19)

Closed Closed

Schroeder Middle School (10:45 AM | 01/11/19)

Closed Closed

South Kiwanis Park/Discovery School (10:45 AM | 01/11/19)

Closed Closed

Jaycees Park (10:45 AM | 01/11/19)