:: Mission Statement

DCSoccer, an independent, non-profit organization, is committed to enhancing the soccer community of the greater Washington metropolitan area.


:: Strategy

DCSoccer develops and promotes soccer related activities through its on-line soccer information DCSoccerPedia, scholarship program for low-income youth soccer players, and cultural soccer programs.


:: Board Member / Staff


Ian Oliver
President

Ian Oliver is an independent consultant focused on training, youth development, program scale up, U.S.-Africa trade, and international soccer initiatives. A common thread within his work is his passion for giving back through the global appeal of soccer. During his tenure with the Academy for Educational Development (AED), Ian focused much of his work on social marketing and behavior change interventions in African countries as a response to the HIV/AIDS crisis, specifically managing a soccer-based approach to youth prevention that is now being implemented in 17 countries. Ian also works with AED and the U.S. Department of State on international exchange programs for soccer coaches. Ian travels to Africa several times per year for various clients and partners including AED, Johnson & Johnson, and the U.S. Department of State.

Ian is nationally licensed youth soccer coach. He is co-Founder and Director of The Agulhas Group, an international trade and investment firm creating business linkages between U.S. companies and African marketplaces. He is also the co-Founder of Rag Ball International, a for-profit income generation project supporting young people across Africa by providing a marketplace for the sale of handmade soccer balls.

At DC Soccer Ian focuses on building strategic partnerships between organizations, drawing on complementary capacities towards common goals in the local soccer community.


Patricia S. Benton
Secretary and Treasurer

Patricia Benton is one of the founding members of DCSoccer and has served as the Secretary/Treasurer of the organization since 2002.

Ms. Benton is the Vice President, Finance and Administration for the Salzburg Global Seminar. She is responsible for managing the financial affairs of the organization including, cash management, grants reporting, banking relationships, endowment management, accounting, budgeting, forecasting and the annual audit. As CFO her responsibilities also include Information Technology and Human Resources including oversight of personnel policy, benefits management and compliance. She maintains oversight of the Conference Center, the hotel operations in Salzburg, Austria including forward planning, capital improvements and commercial marketing.

Patricia Benton is the former Vice President and General Manager of Comsat World Systems, a $250 million dollar telecommunications company with over 200 employees. In that position, she was responsible for directing the daily operations of the international satellite business, including sales and marketing, strategic planning, engineering and operations, international and regulatory affairs, finance, and new technology research and standards development. Previously, as Vice President of Finance for Comsat World Systems, she represented the company in financial policy matters with customers, external auditors, U.S. Government and foreign PTTs.

Ms. Benton has also worked as a consultant providing senior financial management services to a number of non-profit organizations: Gender at Work, CIVICUS, The Partnership for Transparency Fund, and DC Stoddert Soccer. In addition Ms. Benton consulted with TouchstoneGlobal, a business improvement and financial consulting company.

Ms. Benton has an MBA in Finance from George Washington University, a BA in Economics and French from Brown University and she is a CPA.


Joseph Schoenbauer
Board Member, Media Coordinator

Joe joined DC Soccer in 2005 as the lead journalist. He brought with him a wealth of knowledge concerning current local, national and international soccer news and events. He was responsible for writing feature articles for www.dcsoccer.com related to soccer in the Washington DC area. Articles focused on DC United, Washington Freedom, youth and amateur leagues and tournaments, and soccer related community events. Joe moved into his role as the media coordinator as further staff were brought on board. He became a board member in 2008.

Joe currently works at Proactive Sports Management USA as the North America Operations Manager. Prior to joining Proactive in 2006, Joe worked for Grassroot Soccer, an international NGO where he was the Refugee Camp Program Coordinator in Zambia. In his work, he oversaw the development of a 20-team youth soccer league, as well as the training and coordinating of coaches, peer educators, and school teachers in Grassroot Soccer’s HIV/AIDS education curriculum.

Joe received his B.A. in Sport Management and Communication Studies from Stetson University in 2003. He is currently working on his Master's in Sports Industry Management at Georgetown University.


Len Oliver
Honorary Member

Len Oliver. Ph.D. in Adult/Continuing Education from the University of Chicago. Former Special Assistant to the Chairman, NEH. Formed Oliver Associates in 1983, a public policy consulting firm. Author with two books and some 30 articles. He is a spokesperson for the study circle movement in the United States. He has also given motivational speeches linking soccer with organizational life. He has spent his life in sports, playing on the U.S. Pan-American and Olympic Soccer Teams (1963-1964), as a professional in the American Soccer League, and on all-star teams in six differenct cities. He holds the USSF 'A' Coaching License and FIFA-USSF Referee License, serves as Director of Coaching for DC Stoddert Soccer League, and as State Staff Coach with VYSA. He continues to coach youth soccer and offers USSF-licensed coaching courses, training 4,200 coaches from 83 countries. Len lectures and writes on soccer. Honors include: Induction into the Temple University Athletic Hall of Fame (1981), USSF National Soccer Hall of Fame (1996), Philadelphia Oldtimers Soccer Hall of Fame (1998), the Virginia-DC Soccer Hall of Fame (2001), VYSA's "Exemplary Service Award" (1997), and NSCAA's "Long-Term Youth Achievement Award." Serves on numerous soccer boards and committees, including DC Stoddert Soccer, DC Soccer, Virginia-DC Soccer Hall of Fame (Chair), NSCAA’s Editorial Board, and NSCAA’s Youth Long-Term Service Award Committee (Chair).





Jessica Cates-Bristol
DCSoccer Scholarship Coordinator





Jose "Toto" Irureta
Webmaster, Hispanic Outreach Coordinator