Redlands FC: Supporting Local Soccer In The Inland Empire

By Oliver Tensley.

REDLANDS, Calif. — Redlands Football Club is a club built for Redlands, Calif., but its community is for the growth of soccer. Supporters welcome the idea of rival clubs being founded down the road, even the owner hopes for the same.

On Saturday, July 6th, the Inland Empire outfit hosted the Desert Empire’s Coachella FC in a match that had the feel of a derby.

Redlands FC thumped Coachella 8-2, but regardless of the result, the match was a window into the hopeful future of soccer in the area.

The Inland Empire is the region directly East of Los Angeles and spans San Bernardino and Riverside Counties ending at the San Gorgonio Pass. Over the pass begins the Desert Empire.

Redlands owner and founder, Ryan Whiley, said, “The more clubs the better. I’m so glad Coachella is out here…it’d be really cool to be able to form a big rivalry with them. If Riverside, or Rancho [Cucamonga], maybe Corona or something also got a club, that would be super cool. The more grassroots clubs that are popping up like this the better.”

Whiley is a young software engineer in the Bay Area who is originally from Redlands, he wears a club t-shirt and shorts to the match. His parents’ restaurant, La Volata, is the club’s shirt sponsor.

Fan of Redlands FC, Aaron Ward, said, “[If] Every little town like Redlands, or Riverside, or whatever…could get a little club like this it would be great. Kind of like you see in Europe, even if it’s the seventh division and it’s just like 50 dudes there.”

Ward is one of two founders of the club’s supporters’ group, the I-10 Ultras.

Co-founder, Daniel Torres, said, “It gives people the opportunity in more rural areas, or areas that are underrepresented to rally around something…having that hometown pride and ultimately showing what we’re all about.”

About founding the supporters’ group, Ward said, “A lot of people like to point to the European model of ‘this is how you should support a club,’ but they don’t really realize it starts here and eventually it gets bigger.”

He added, “I have been a big supporter of supporting the team that is closest to you, just because they’re going to identify with you more…Barcelona is cool, but are you ever going to see them? Do they really care if you support them or not? But, these guys, if they have 100 extra people come out, know the difference.”

The connection between the players, staff, and fans in Redlands is a major part of the club’s fabric. Players walk by the dozen or so members of the I-10 Ultras before kick-off, having their name yelled gleefully and returning it with high-fives. After games, players ask ball boys how their youth matches from the week went.

Most unique of all, Whiley, as club owner, washes the players’ uniforms himself during the week when he is in town for matches. He also can be found feet from the I-10 Ultras most of the match. No one is too big for someone else at Redlands FC.

The club’s identity is the City of Redlands.

Torres said, “The identity of Redlands lies in the orange…everything from the orange picker to the packer, to the distributor…that encompasses the community, we’re not afraid to get our hands dirty.” Even the Redlands FC badge features an orange.

The I-10 Ultras march into the match before hanging their “Redlands ‘Til I Die” banner on the front of the bleachers.

They wave flags, bang drums, and sing songs mostly familiar to those who watch the sport. Different men dawn the megaphone to lead chants, but one chooses to have a go at a sizable away crowd for Coachella FC while the match is already 6-2.

He says, “Coachella, if you’re happy and you know it clap your hands,” before singing the children’s song. The away supporters clapped and had a laugh at it. They too brought a megaphone and had their moments of signing, but the 8-goal rout meant only one side was singing for most of the night.

The players are equally as passionate about the club. Many are from the area making their connection stronger. After Jarette Barajas (the club’s man of the match) scored Redlands’s eighth and final goal, he and several players showed the club’s badge to the camera in celebration. Redlands native, Omar Yehya, was one of those players.

Yehya said, “[Redlands FC] means everything because when we were growing up we didn’t have opportunities like this.”

Yehya is a fan favorite, especially among the I-10 Ultras, he said, “They’re at every away game, you hear them cheering – you want to try a little extra for them. When it’s hot, 80th minute, it’s hard, you hear the drums, you hear the people chanting, you don’t want to let them down.”

Captain, Ethan Kovach, said, “Having this amount of support, it means something for a small city…to represent that means so much.”

The community at Redlands FC is thriving. Scarves are around the necks of nearly every person in attendance and if not, a jersey is likely worn instead.

The club owner is readily accessible for conversation, yet is never bothered by hostile fans. The club made the playoffs in its first season in 2023 and only narrowly missed them in 2024.

What is to come in 2025 and beyond is yet to be seen, but the I-10 Ultras will be there, home or away.

Player, Mike Moser, defined the identity of Redlands FC as, “togetherness.” From players, to owner, to supporters this club is adored and surely that is togetherness.