BEHIND THE HEADLINES: MARK ARBLASTER, PRESIDENT, NEWPORT MESA SOCCER CLUB

As the Pilot Cup soccer tournament revs into high gear today and Sunday, there are many players behind the scenes who make the tournament happen. One of those is Mark Arblaster, 47, a local certified financial planner and vice president with The Keller Group Investment Management in Irvine. Arblaster is president of the Newport Mesa Soccer Club, which he says was formed two years ago out of necessity to allow five local teams to continue to play club soccer in the Coast Soccer League, the largest in the U.S. Arblaster shared his feelings about soccer, the Pilot Cup and his group’s affiliation with it.

Question: So how did the Newport Mesa Soccer Club get affiliated with the Pilot Cup?

Answer: I coached my son’s Pilot Cup teams in 2003 and 2004 and got hooked on Pilot Cup. I volunteered to help Kirk McIntosh line fields all day on Memorial Days. I’d help him with bracketing and scheduling. I’m well-connected in the referee world, so I helped bring in some college and federation-certified referees. But, frankly, one of the biggest problems with the Cup was communications. It was impossible to effectively disseminate announcements, schedules, scores, standings via an e-mail tree. So, when NMSC launched our website (www.NewportMesaSoccer.com) in January of 2006, I offered it to Kirk to help the cause. Now scores are posted by 9:30 every night — you don’t have to drive back to the farm to get them.

Q: How did you personally get interested in soccer?

A: I grew up in Dana Point playing Little League, flag Football and basketball. We didn’t even have soccer available to us until AYSO arrived when I was 13.

Both of my parents immigrated to America from England, so as a means of connecting with my heritage, I tried it. I got hooked. I dropped all other sports and focused on this freeflowing game that didn’t require atypical size or strength — just fitness and technique. I played at Dana Hills (we lost to Newport Harbor in the playoffs of 1976 — I still have the old Daily Pilot photo in my scrapbook). I played one year at San Diego State and one summer on the reserve team for the old California Surf franchise of the North American Soccer League (NASL). Then I got into refereeing and worked my way up to NCAA, WUSA and MLS.

Q: Why is the Pilot Cup so popular in your estimation?

A: This is the only time these elementary school kids can compete for their school. Every other sports program mixes them all together. But there’s something special about representing your school. You couldn’t do this with any other sport.

Soccer is the only sport that crosses all socio-economic boundaries and doesn’t have a bias toward gender or body-type. That’s why it’s a global game. The boys from Rea can battle the boys from Andersen in soccer, but not in basketball, baseball or football. For the girls, this is their sport of choice. America produces the best female soccer players in the world.

Another reason is tradition. This is the eighth year of the tournament. Entire families have participated in it. I’m seeing legacy players from all of the local high schools helping out on teams, coaching siblings and giving back. It’s beautiful.

Q: What’s your favorite part of the tournament?

A: The energy. The other day I walked the tournament — all eleven fields. Twenty-two teams playing and 22 teams warming up. The place was just buzzing with youthful energy. It’s like a beehive.

Joy and smiles, hugs and high-fives. There’s nothing like it.

Q: What more should we or the city or the school district be doing to promote soccer?

A: I suppose I should be politically correct and sugar-coat this, but I’ll be frank. I think that the folks that make the decisions about developing and allocating fields at the school district and at the Parks and Recreation Commissions of both the cities of Newport Beach and Costa Mesa are still living in the 1970s. They don’t seem to get it. There are over 3,000 kids playing soccer in Newport.

There are over 3,000 kids playing soccer in Costa Mesa. Those numbers dwarf all the other sports combined. But, if you compare the number of diamonds, gridirons and courts to the number of soccer fields, you’d think we were the minority. Mostly, it’s not fair to our girls. Soccer is their sport. Yet, the boys get premium diamonds and football fields.

There are so few soccer fields (particularly lighted ones) that we are forced to turn away kids for several months per year. That’s just not right.

To see Pilot Cup video action click here