Elite Soccer League

★★★★★Gianfranco Arce

Elite Soccer League in San Clemente is an amazing soccer program! The coaches are knowledgeable, supportive, and truly care about helping players improve their skills and confidence. The training sessions are well organized, challenging, and fun, creating a great environment for players of all levels. The league does a fantastic job of promoting teamwork, sportsmanship, and player development. The facilities are excellent, and the overall atmosphere is welcoming and positive. I've seen tremendous growth in players both on and off the field thanks to the dedication of the coaches and staff.

★Sean Fletcher

It would be nice if ESL would respect the rights of property owners (whether businesses, HOAs and school districts) and quit blanketing our community with their signs while not getting permission from the property owners to do so. Every time I see these signs on our HOA common areas or on school district property they are going in the trash.

★Brian Hubbard

If you’re considering signing your kids up for Elite Soccer League, save yourself the frustration and just don’t. This league is wildly overpriced for what you actually get. You’d expect a premium experience based on the cost, but instead it feels like corners are being cut everywhere while they happily take your money. The organization is a mess. It’s painfully obvious the league prioritizes revenue over the players’ experience. They advertise a guaranteed game every week, yet we’ve had multiple “games” turn into scrimmages against our own team because they overbooked players and couldn’t properly structure the league. On top of that, they created uneven teams, leading to random bye weeks that completely defeat the purpose of joining a league in the first place. Game quality is another major issue. Matchups are consistently uneven, and our boys have been forced to play against teams that are significantly older, bigger, and more skilled. It’s not competitive—it’s discouraging. There’s a difference between a challenge and a mismatch, and this league clearly doesn’t know (or care about) the difference. Then there are the referees—easily some of the worst I’ve seen. Calls are inconsistent at best, nonexistent at worst, and player safety seems like an afterthought. It honestly feels like they’re just there to collect a paycheck rather than manage a fair and safe game. Considering we’re paying for this, it’s unacceptable. Trying to get help from the league office? Good luck. They’re completely unresponsive. No phone number, no real support—just email and a clunky chat system through their PlayMetrics platform that goes nowhere. It’s almost like they’ve set it up this way on purpose so they don’t have to deal with complaints. Scheduling is another headache. Instead of providing a full season schedule upfront, they release it week by week. That makes it nearly impossible to plan ahead, especially for families juggling multiple activities. It’s just another example of how poorly this league is run. Bottom line: don’t waste your time or money. This league doesn’t care about your kids, the quality of play, or your overall experience. It’s disorganized, frustrating, and feels like a complete cash grab. A total rip-off.

★Mad Con

I signed my six-year-old up because the website clearly promised one practice and one game a week. Instead, there were no practices at all. I asked for the advertised practices, and Elite said they’d set something up—but after that, they completely ghosted me despite multiple emails and texts. My son only went to one game, and it was such a disaster that he actually lost progress in just that day. Coaches were running around on the field with the kids, shouting instructions as they tried to figure things out, and the coach admitted she didn’t know what she was doing and was only volunteering to avoid the cost of hiring a professional coach. This program is misleading, disorganized, and not at all what they advertise.

★★★★★Leilani Ashdown

The Elite Soccer League has exceeded every expectation I had. From the level of competition to the professionalism of the staff, everything is first-class. The teams/coaches have a good mix of making sure the kids have fun while also maintaining a healthy competitive environment. It also had something for each of my kids. They have recreational AND more competitive leagues. It's clear that this ESL is run by people who genuinely care about the sport. Highly recommended for anyone who loves the game and wants to be part of something exceptional. Looking forward to many more years!