NHB Futbol- North Huntington Beach Futbol Club

The above photo are the four players receiving this years award.  Left to right are Alex Sanders, Glenda Rodriguez, Andy Scott-Webster and Justine Zavala,

The award is given every year to athletes that have played for the club at least 3 years. There is a $10,000 grant that will be split between the athletes that are chosen to help them with there college future.

This year there were 4 participates that received the award. 2 young ladies from the Girls U-17 NHB Black coached by Raul Ruiz and 2 young men that played for Boys U-18 NHBFC coached by Sean Dick.

The following statements are from the 4 players receiving the award:

Justine Zavala: I am 17 years old and I have been playing soccer almost all of my life. I have also been going to school most of my life, and have been doing both soccer and school with the same single goal in mind! The goal I am striving to reach for would ultimately be college. Now that the time is here, I am happy to say that while I have been accepted to Cal State LA and Arizona State I have chosen to attend Cal State San Marcos to pursue my degree in Kinesiology. 

I knew that this achievement of getting into college could not have been reached without the two driving forces in my life. One is my parents, who always stressed education as the key. The other was athletics, particularly soccer which always stressed discipline and commitment. The first one, which was school, was always hard work and I struggled sometimes but I pushed through and did the best I could. The second driving force, soccer, was always fun to me! 

I started soccer the same way the majority of girls do, through AYSO where I was told I had some speed and a little talent. I played for about 5 years when my coach Danny Rangel, who is now the assistant coach for my current club, NHB, decided to form a spring select team. After a very successful year he decided on a new idea for me which was Club Soccer. That is when my soccer career really took off and became more then just a hobby. After a few years with the So Cal Gunners, the team disbanded and I joined my present day coach Raul Ruiz and the Revolution Futbol Club. A short time later Coach Ruiz took the team and joined the NHB Futbol Club. 

I began to realize that I was now on a real club team because I had never experienced such a passionate coach and organized club then I did at NHB. The fact that it was more organized, had a lot more teams and coaches, and was loaded with experience and support made things exciting for me as well as my teammates. I then noticed something else, NHB actually had tryouts, and they had a much bigger talent pool to draw from. Even the girls already on the team prior to tryouts were required to try out as well because no one was assured a spot! If you wanted it you had to earn it. Such was the philosophy of NHB. 

Under the guidance and direction of our president/Coach Mitton the teams did very well. Coach Mitton is a hands on type of president. He coached a couple of boys teams as well as a girls team that succeeded in winning the national championship. He would come out to our games to see how we did, and if he did not like what he saw he had no problems with letting our coach know what we had to do to improve. Not only did he guide our coach throughout the season but guided us as a team through the season. Coach Mitton stressed success, discipline, and defense. As for me, being a defensive player, I had no problem with it. I also believe, as Coach Mitton does, that while offense is necessary and fun to watch its defense that wins the game. 

In our first year we did well in league just missing second place by a half point, but in league cup we advanced to the round of 16, the only silver team to do so! The following year my team, coached by Raul Ruiz, lost only 2 games and won the league championship thus moving up to the Silver-Elite bracket. As luck would have it the very next season we tied Santa Barbara for first place and shared the co-championship at the Silver-Elite bracket and moved up to the gold bracket where we are currently ranked 16th in the State. 

My ambitions were big and I was determined and focused during my club career. During this time of my new, successful club season, I was attending Bishop Montgomery High School where I pleased my parents by maintaining a 3.6 GPA and achieved a moderate amount of success on the soccer team. I was lucky enough to play on the varsity squad all four years having made All- League in my junior and senior years and defensive player of the year in 2006! Without a doubt, my fondest moment was making the CIF finals in my senior year.
Coach Ruiz and Coach Rangel also stressed that the same fundamentals that apply to soccer also are useful to get into college. Things like, never give up. If things seem difficult, you have to work harder, practice longer in order to achieve.
In a way it makes you wonder, it wasn’t all hard work. NHB is a fun club. So much so that it became a family thing for me. My dad became the manager (although my mom wasn’t too happy with the idea!) and he stayed on until last year. Even my mom came around and was the team accountant for a while. NHB had a picnic every year, as well as their annual tournament in which my whole family would pitch in and help! 

Now that I’m moving on to the next stage in my life I can honestly say that both my parents and NHB have had a huge influence in my life, and are two main reasons I am going to college. I have no doubt that I will be successful in my college career thanks to the guidance and support of my coaches and NHB. Thank you Coach Mitton, Coach Ruiz and Coach Rangel and the rest of the NHB family.

Glenda Rodriguez: I am a Senior at David Starr Jordan High School where I have been playing varsity for the past four years. My GPA is 3.00 and I will be attending Long Beach City College this coming year to become an Orthodontist, and hopefully make the soccer team. In my freshman year I made it to the second team for Harry J. Moore League all league award. In my sophomore year i made it to the first team. I was so excited! I also won best offensive player of the year.

I've been playing soccer since I was five years old. The first league I played for was AYSO, which I played in it for seven years. At age twelve I started playing club, my first club was Revolution and Raul Ruiz was my coach. We were a real good team. At age twelve our team went into the NHB Tournament, and I remember winning the tournament. I scored the winning goal!

After three years playing with Revolution, the team transferred to NHB. I have been playing for NHB since I was thirteen years old. Our first year was great, we won the season. We came in as bronze and now were gold. Coach Raul is a completely dedicated coach who believes in each of us and gets the best out of his players.

I had a rough year being a junior, I torn my ACL playing high school soccer. I got injured in November, 2005 and had surgery in March, 2006. I was out for five months. I thought I had lost my soccer skills. My first game after surgery was in August/September. Everybody was scared to see me play. Game time came and there goes Glenda getting the ball taking a shot and scoring! I remember looking at my mom and my mom was facing the other way, she was scared to see me get hurt again. But now I feel stronger and ready to compete

I realized that playing with NHB I've developed a high level of soccer. I've learned teamwork and cooperation during my years with NHB. My love of the game will always keep me involves in soccer in some way or another.

I want to Thank my parents for everything they have done for me. For allowing me to play the game that I love the best, soccer. If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be the person I am right now. I love you dad and mom! I want to tell them that I’m going to become someone important in life!

I’m very grateful for all of the opportunities and memories from my years with NHB. It was a well earned honor to play for one of the greatest clubs in Southern California. Its been a great experience. I came in as a soccer player and I am leaving as a soccer player. Thank You NHB!

I also want to thank my coach Raul Ruiz for letting me play and President George Mitton for letting me be part of NHB!!

Alex Sanders: My five years playing for NHB FC under the coaching of Sean Dick have been about much more than “just” soccer. In addition to improving my soccer skills I’ve learned valuable lessons in teamwork, friendship and leadership. I’ve also had the opportunity to travel, both within California and overseas, and am going to college in no small part due to the lessons NHB FC have taught me.

Being co-captain alongside Andy Scott-Webster has taught me how to be a leader both on and off the field. Sean Dick taught me to lead by example, so I have worked hard to be both a strong soccer player and positive model. Helping guide my teammates to achieve their personal best has resulted in team success and has also made me a much stronger person. I know that the leadership skills I learned as part of the NHB FC team will help me in my future education, career and life.

Having been part of the same team for five years has allowed me to get to know my teammates on a very personal level. We have all learned the importance of teamwork and what each other’s strengths and weaknesses are. We have gained the ability to adapt to each other on the field and to motivate each other to do their best. With this knowledge and Sean’s training we have consistently made our team better than it was the previous season or previous game, for that matter.

Knowing my teammates on a personal level has created many long lasting friendships. Over the years I have built many bonds with my teammates, some stronger than others, but all in all I believe that our team is one close-knit group of friends who would do almost anything for one another. Whether competing on the field, hanging out at the hotel during Nationals, or touring England, I can always guarantee that I will have a great time with them. To me they are like family; they have been with me through the best of times, and the worst of times.

Our trip to England and Wales in August 2005 is something I wouldn’t have experienced if I weren’t a part of NHB FC. Our coach and team parents worked hard to put together a memorable experience: touring the historic towns, seeing Premiership games, and playing some of the toughest competition around. It was great to win four of five games in a country known for it’s high level of play and this is where I scored the most memorable goal of my life. This trip helped our team grow as soccer players and friends; it was the best trip I’ve ever taken.

This last year together our team has had two things to focus on: competing in the Premier league and planning for our future. Coach Sean Dick started talking to the players and parents about college a couple of years ago and his help and encouragement – both on and off the field – has paid off. I recently accepted a scholarship to play soccer at University of Hawaii at Hilo and am looking forward to many memorable moments in the next chapter of my life. This would never have been possible if I had given up like a few of my friends. Sean Dick’s training and advice has helped me become a much better player than I thought I could be and made me a stronger person, too. I am sad to be leaving him, and the club, in August…but for now I am keeping focused on a good showing in Nationals and our trip to New Zealand in June. 

Andy Scott-Webster: Well I should start from the beginning. Both Alex and I had played on an AYSO all star team together and decided that we should go try out for a club team. The club team was the South Coast Cosmos. Our coach was ok, some what of a head case but he did his job well. After two years with him he got a job offer in Germany and decided it would be best for his family and himself to move there, leaving the club team to Sean.

Sean was a completely different coach. He made it so we wanted to work for him. He never yells at us because his philosophy is that, well what does that do besides takes us off our game. His coaching styles were completely different then the styles of my last coach. He pushed and got the best out of us every practice and he has molded me into the player that I am today. I would still be a silver caliber player had it not been for Sean. A year after he took over the team there was some bad blood between Sean and the head of South Coast, so in his best wisdom he decided to take the team to NHB. This was a complete change. We scrimmaged the premier team on a monthly basis, showing us what we need to do to get to the next level. There was no where near that caliber a team at South Coast. Also the environment was different then the one at South Coast. The people and coaches associated with NHB know what they’re doing. 

I gained so much experience in such a short amount of time, it was insane. The people here were also so welcoming; they wanted to see us succeed. We came to NHB as a silver team, and each year we got better, and each year we rose to the next level until finally this year we went premier. That is the biggest feeling of accomplishment because when I first got into club soccer we played both surf and the Irvine strikers, and both games we got demolished. But this year we competed against them in league and we beat the strikers and tied surf. It just shows how a team can grow.

NHB has also gotten me into the college. All my hard work and my coach’s hard work has paid off. This is what we have been working for, for the past two years. Before I came to the club playing in college was just a dream, pretty much. Sean made it a reality. Next year I will be attending the University of Hawaii at Hilo with my other captain and the goalie of my team.

With NHB I have also gone places that I would have never gone at my age. A few summers ago, our team trip to England was… perfect. We played so many top caliber teams and our team matched up fairly well. We only lost one game out of the five. I will remember that experience along with the rest of my good times at NHB for the rest of my life. This summer my team and I are going to New Zealand, another experience without NHB I would not be apart of. It makes me sad that I am leaving this year but I will remember these times with these guys forever. I just want to say thank you to everyone that has made my soccer experience what it was and will be. I have loved every minute of it. All the tears, injuries, sweat, and blood was worth it.