Orcas Island
Football Club
Our Mission
Welcome to Orcas Island FC, a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to helping young people develop essential skills through soccer. We are the premier soccer club in the San Juan Islands. Our select soccer programs are designed to provide both competition and challenges, ensuring that each youth enjoys a positive and rewarding experience. Our recreational programs are a great way to build skills and play the game we all love. We recognize that financial barriers can prevent young people from accessing the benefits of playing soccer, which is why we work hard to remove these barriers. Our mission is to provide a supportive environment that helps our young players grow as both players and members of their community.
SPONSORS
PARTNERS
Our TEAM
Baturay Baliç
Football Director / Head Coach
Baturay Balic, also known as Batu, was born on July 18, 1987, in İzmir, Turkey. He is a former professional soccer player with a deep family history in the game. His father, Gürsel Balic, is a former professional player, Turkish National Team player, and coach, and his grandfather, Beytullah Balic, was also a coach. With soccer in his blood, Batu began playing at a young age, spending countless hours playing in the streets starting around age seven.
Soon after, he joined a club team and competed in elite youth academy leagues at every age level before turning professional. During his playing career, Batu represented the following clubs:
• Balcovaspor (1998–2000)
• Altınordu (2000–2004)
• Alanyaspor (2004–2007)
• Menemenspor (2008–2009)
Due to a rare injury, Batu made the difficult decision to end his professional playing career and shift his focus toward education. He attended university, where he studied English and Russian languages.
Inspired by the coaching legacy of his father and grandfather, Batu set his sights on becoming a coach. He holds a UEFA C Coaching Diploma, reflecting his commitment to structured player development and modern coaching standards.
After moving to the United States in 2014, Batu worked as a youth coach at a private soccer school across Washington, DC, Virginia, and Maryland, coaching players between the ages of 8 and 13.
In 2015, Batu began running youth soccer clinics through Orcas Island Park and Rec. The program quickly grew and became one of the most popular and respected youth sports programs in the island community.
Batu also coached the Orcas Island High School Soccer Team, leading them to second place in the Washington State Championship in 2018, followed by state championships in both 2021 and 2024. The Orcas Island High School team finished first in their league six consecutive years and holds the longest undefeated record in league history, remaining unbeaten for over four years across 60+ matches.
In addition to his high school success, Batu coached Orcas Island FC to an undefeated South Whidbey Island U12 League Championship in 2025, further highlighting his impact at the youth development level.
Throughout his coaching career, Batu has mentored and developed numerous players who have gone on to achieve significant milestones, including earning college soccer scholarships, winning league MVP awards, breaking long-standing goal records, and much more.
Batu’s main goal is to continue helping young players—especially island kids—develop not only as soccer players, but as confident individuals who can achieve their goals both on and off the field.
Julien Kos
President
Julien has been playing soccer since 5 years old. He played with Emerald City Football Club, and Crossfire in Seattle, later he played in the Netherlands. He also has fond memories of playing at the camps held on Orcas Island in the summer. He first became a referee in 2013. Since moving back to the island he has been involved in revitalizing the Sunday drop-in games. Now Orcas can boast that it has year round soccer for youth and adults, both outdoor and indoor. Julien has deep passion for the unify aspect of soccer, and has helped foster an environment of cooperation and competition on the island by hosting and officiating inter-island matches and tournaments. Julien is also a youth coach in cooperation with Parks and Rec.
Julien believes that the Orcas Island Football Club will address a need that island has yet to have a solution for. The experiences he had growing up in Seattle and around the world should be available to the youth of Orcas as well, and he is excited to be championing this cause.
jack russillo
Treasurer
Jack was raised on Orcas and played at all levels the island had to offer up until his graduation from Orcas High School in 2014. He then played intramural soccer while at UW, in recreational leagues around the greater Seattle area, and has played in pick up games on five continents. He has been an assistant coach for both the Orcas middle and high school teams. Jack currently lives at his family farm on the north end of the island and works for the San Juan Preservation Trust.
When Jack learned he loved soccer, he sought out more than the few months of casual soccer than the island offered. He attended off island camps in the summer for many years, played for a Bellingham-based club for a season one spring while in high school, and started playing at the island’s Sunday Soccer at the age of 10. It is Jack’s dream to bring year-round soccer to the island so that anybody can play to their heart’s content.
