The turning point
US youth soccer is broken.
We're building the blueprint to fix it.
Solstice FC is an open-source specification for a community-owned youth soccer cooperative — affordable, transparent, merit-based. Every decision was stress-tested through 25 structured debates before a single line of bylaws was written.
The Model
Community-Owned
Nonprofit cooperative, one-club-one-vote. Clubs are member-owners, not franchisees. Governance is the competitive advantage — the league you own.
Affordable
$2,000–$2,800/year flat. No hidden fees. Constitutional cap at 150% of founding rates. Scholarship target of 20%+ roster coverage through three funding streams.
Merit-Based
Metro-scoped promotion/relegation starting at U13. All criteria and standings public. Technical metrics over physical. Consent-first player data with maturation context.
High Floor, Full Autonomy
Non-negotiable standards: licensed coaches, training minimums, financial transparency, SafeSport. Above the floor, clubs control methodology, culture, and programming.
Built Through Debate
25
Lincoln-Douglas debates
9
spec documents
8
AI agent personas
Before writing a single line of bylaws, we ran 25 structured debates between AI agents — 13 on architecture, governance, and player development, then 12 more on the revenue model alone. Three rotating judges scored on logic, feasibility, evidence, and clash. No predetermined outcomes. The spec is what survived the arguments.
Who's Behind This
I'm Houston, a dad in San Diego whose kid plays competitive club soccer. I've watched families spend $5,000–$15,000 a year on a system that's fragmented, opaque, and structurally designed to extract money rather than develop players.
Solstice FC is the turning point. Latin solstitium — “the sun stands still.” The moment the longest night ends and the light starts coming back. US youth soccer is in its longest night. This is the design for what comes next.
Everything is published. Everything is open. The spec, the debates, the reasoning, the failures. That's the point.
Latest from the Workshop
The Real Outreach Plan
The first outreach plan was a skeleton. This one has names, URLs, grant databases, social media playbooks, and a 16-week execution calendar.
Phase 3 Complete: 56 Pages, Zero Shortcuts
From zero to a full content site in one session. 25 debates, 9 specs, 22 blog posts, landscape research, SEO strategy, and a community outreach plan.
Futsal as a Development Tool: Why Small-Sided Games Matter
Futsal isn't indoor soccer with walls. It's a distinct sport that develops technical skills, decision-making, and creativity faster than outdoor soccer alone — and the best players in history credit it for their development. Here's why it belongs in every youth player's training.