Cleveland Force Opens Mansfield Campus, Creating a Crossroads for Families and the Volunteer League That's Served Them for 24 Years

A regional youth soccer club billing itself as a "premier pathway" to pre-professional play is setting up shop in Mansfield for the 2026–27 season — and the price of admission could run families twenty to seventy times what they've been paying at the community program that's anchored local soccer since 2002.

Cleveland Force Soccer Club announced that its new North Central Ohio campus will serve Mansfield and surrounding communities beginning next season, expanding a development model that stretches from age-3 minis through pre-professional levels. The club, formed in 2018 through the merger of CSA Impact, Cleveland United and Internationals SC, already operates 10 locations across Northeast Ohio, with outdoor training sites in North Ridgeville and Willoughby and indoor facilities in Akron, Avon, Bedford Heights, Eastlake, Fairlawn, North Ridgeville, Rocky River, Warrensville Heights, Westlake and Willoughby.

"The launch of Cleveland Force Mansfield represents an exciting step forward in our mission to provide more players and families access to a high-quality development pathway," said Marko Raduka, the club's regional executive director.

Free one-day clinics began in late July to introduce the program locally. Registration for the 2026–27 season is open.

The expansion lands squarely in territory long served by Mansfield Soccer Association, a nonprofit, volunteer-run recreational organization that adopted its bylaws on June 29, 2002, and operates without government funding, relying entirely on registration fees. That organization's 24th annual tournament is scheduled for Oct. 10–12, with registration having opened Aug. 10.

What the Numbers Say

The cost gap between the two programs is steep. Mansfield Soccer Association charges $50 for recreational registration covering both fall and spring seasons, with academy paperwork included; that fee covers supplemental insurance, field usage, referees and end-of-season awards. Its competitive team registration runs $25 per player, $10 per coach or manager, and a $100 administrative fee for the full year.

Cleveland Force annual costs range from roughly $1,000 to $3,500, depending on program and age group. Uniform kits add about $350 for youth sizes and $370 for adult sizes. None of those figures account for travel, tournament entry or lodging — expenses that climb as players advance. Force says practices typically require 10 to 30 minutes of travel, but games can mean one to two hours on the road for regional teams and one to three hours for national-level squads. Tournaments can stretch to four hours of travel, with regional and national teams competing in-state and out.

Players are expected to commit for the full soccer year, and no refunds are issued once it begins; high-performance players are encouraged to attend all training sessions and games.

Two Different Models

The differences go beyond dollars. Mansfield Soccer Association is open-registration, volunteer-coached and seasonal, built around fun, basic skill development and equal participation. Each team has a head coach and at least one assistant, typically parents, and adult volunteers must provide dates of birth for CORI background checks. The organization's board of directors — president, two vice presidents, treasurer, secretary, plus age and gender commissioners, a webmaster, director of coaching, and director of field and games — meets most third Mondays at 7 p.m. at Mansfield Parks and Recreation.

Force's model is built for selection. Competitive teams require tryouts, run multiple practices per week, and operate year-round with broader travel schedules, sometimes out of state. Its player-development framework evaluates athletes across technical, tactical, physical and mental components, emphasizing long-term development over immediate winning and placing players in environments matched to their abilities. Club and travel teams more often employ paid, trained or licensed coaches.

What's at Stake Locally

The arrival of a professionally marketed club with paid coaches and year-round commitments raises pointed questions for the volunteer-driven organization that has relied on parent coaches and community effort for nearly a quarter-century. If Force draws a significant share of older or more advanced players away from Mansfield Soccer Association, the league could struggle to field competitive teams and to recruit the experienced parent coaches who might follow their children into the club environment.

At the same time, Force's presence could create a clearer development pathway for Mansfield-area families seeking higher-level competition without regular commutes to Cleveland, potentially raising the visibility and quality of youth soccer across the region.

Questions Families Should Be Asking

Before next season's registration deadlines, parents weighing their options should consider their child's skill level and interest in competitive versus recreational play, the household budget for fees and travel, and whether a year-round commitment fits the family's schedule.

Cleveland Force has not yet disclosed where its Mansfield campus will train. Families should ask how often practices and games will require travel outside Richland County, what the full annual cost will be including uniforms and tournaments, and how the tryout and selection process works.

And for families committed to community soccer: Mansfield Soccer Association's volunteer pipeline — coaches, board members, committee roles — is the infrastructure the program runs on. Whether or not Force fragments the local player base, that infrastructure will need people willing to show up.