You could argue the most important accomplishment made by the Utah Spiders during 2005 had nothing to do with their on-the-field performance.
Oh, the Spiders did reasonably well on the soccer field, finishing third in the Women's Premier Soccer League's West Division despite the fact they played with several younger players.
But in the month since Utah's season concluded, the club has secured financial backing from multiple sponsors, including GSL Energy Corp., an international company based in Salt Lake City. The news means that the Spiders will be able to continue operations in 2005 and beyond while hoping to be competitive on the national scene.
"For the club itself, we think we'll be competing for another national championship," said Spiders board member Mark Drown. "When you have funding, there's a carrot dangling to attract the best players."
That's not to say the Spiders were on the brink of collapse, but clearly the financial side of operations had taken a hit since winning the 2003 WPSL national championship. Instead of flying to its away games this year, the team chartered buses, and the per-diem for those trips had gone down, too.
As the end of the season neared, talk around the Spiders centered around getting enough funding for next season. One month later, those fiscal concerns seem to be removed entirely, thanks to new sponsors like GSL Energy Corp. and longtime supporters of the Spiders like the Utah Army National Guard.
"Financially, it's as strong as it's ever been (in seven years)," Drown said. "For me, I can breathe easier."
Breathing easier will include flying again next year and "all the good things that money brings," Drown said.
Also, the team is working to set up international friendships with European sites in Hungary and England. Those games could come as early as next year, and Drown expects to see several international games over the next several years.
"The idea would be to turn the name of the Spiders international in the sense of traveling overseas," Drown said.
A doubleheader with Real Salt Lake could also happen soon. Details are still being hammered out, but Drown has met with RSL officials about the possibility of having a doubleheader next season as well as creating a working relationship between the two clubs.
"Definitely we want a relationship with the men," Drown said.
Once the 2006 season rolls around, the Spiders will hope to improve on their third-place finish in the WPSL's West Division. Defender Amy Stover and forward Rochelle Hoover provided leadership for a young team and were both named to the WSPL All-Star team.
Finishing third could be considered a decent accomplishment considering coaches Jo Barney and Jamie Schock played so many young players, but Hoover hardly considered it great.
The Spiders seemed to be picking up momentum leading up to a two-week summer break, but the team never came back together after that point.
"Once we hit midseason," Hoover said, "it went downhill, sadly."
Utah's forward pointed to inconsistency as the main problem for Utah in 2005. Whether it was Barney unable to make it to matches or players missing games and practices due to various reasons, Hoover said it became impossible to get everyone on the same page.
Hoover said the core group of players, including Stover, Shauna Bingham, Emily Campbell and Jennifer Williams, all met after the season to determine whether they wanted to continue. Hoover thinks the key to bouncing back on the field next year will depend on whether everyone commits to the team.
"If we get the commitment from all the girls, everybody will play," she said.
E-mail: drasmussen@desnews.com