March 22, 2022, San Ramon, CA

San Ramon FC honored the hard work of its student athletes at its annual Scholar Athlete Awards Night ceremony.  Held in the fountain room at the San Ramon Community center, the club's Awards Night brochure recognized over 200 youth soccer players for achieving a 3.5 GPA or better while also participating in its fall youth recreational soccer program or its competitive youth soccer program during the fall of 2021.

Athletics and academics are a winning combination.

Playing youth soccer gives students an opportunity to play a sport in a team environment while developing important physical, social, and mental skills.  Sports provide unique challenges and opportunities to learn about teamwork, leadership, perseverance, and more. It also provides a valuable activity to promote and reinforce healthy habits and the benefits of physical activity.

The Awards Night featured a short introduction from the club's Executive Director, Zlatko Tomic, followed by a welcome message from the current president of the Board of Directors, Tim Coats.  Mr. Coats noted that this was the first in-person large event for the club in nearly two years and spoke briefly about what he viewed as three important pillars of character that the student athletes have exhibited during these challenging times: perseverance, leadership, and accountability.

The student athletes in attendance had their names read aloud by emcee Shaun Collins, the club's Recreational Program Manager, or Mr. Tomic.  Each student-athlete received a certificate, Scholar Athlete t-shirt, and a logo magnet to celebrate their achievement.

The Bob Loney Memorial Student-Athlete Scholarship recipients for the fall of 2021 were Brooke Kundert and Seungjoon Hwang. In a bit of serendipity, the Scholar Athlete Awards Night coincided with Mr. Loney’s birthday (March 22). His wife, Silvia, and their three daughters, Alicia, Marisol, and Lili, spoke for a few minutes, expressing gratitude for the renaming of the scholarship in his honor, sharing fond memories about Bob, and also presenting the scholarship award and checks to Brooke and Seungjoon.

Starting in 2022, San Ramon FC chose to re-name its annual senior scholarship award after Robert “Bob” Loney. The Bob Loney Memorial Student-Athlete Scholarship honors a man who was both a soccer parent, with three children who have played at San Ramon FC, and a retiring teacher in our community. In previous years, Bob has served on the San Ramon FC Board of Directors and also volunteered as a youth soccer coach for our club.

Whether from volunteering his time at San Ramon FC or as a member of the Windemere Ranch Middle School faculty, Mr. Loney made a tremendous impact on the youth in San Ramon. This scholarship award honors Bob and continues his legacy by giving to students in the club and our community.