From Coach
to Community
Every kid deserves a uniform. Tom Iliffe has spent nearly 40 years proving it.
I founded West Coast Athletics that year, and for nearly four decades it has been the primary source of uniforms, warm-ups, and spirit wear for Point Arena High School, Arena Elementary, and local youth programs across football, volleyball, basketball, soccer, and baseball. If there was a team in this community that needed gear, I wanted to make sure they had it.
When I joined the coaching staff at Point Arena in 2002, my son Dan was right there with me. For years it was a family affair on the sideline — calling plays together, pushing those kids together. My halftime speeches became something of a local institution. Eventually Dan took over as head coach, which was exactly how it was supposed to go. You build something and you hand it to the next generation.
"I've watched kids come through this program who are now coaching their own children. That's not just football — that's what a community passes down."
One thing never changed through all of it: the philosophy. I could see which families were stretching just to keep their kid on the field. So I donated gear — uniforms, cleats, socks, equipment — to make sure no child ever sat out because their family couldn't cover the cost. That was never going to be the reason.
Walk into the shop and the walls tell the story. Decades of team photos, championship banners, and Pirate Pride memorabilia going back further than some of these kids' parents can remember. Every piece has a team behind it.
I've stepped back from the sideline, but the work isn't done. It's time to bring the same approach — quality gear, fair prices, and genuine investment in every athlete — to the communities around us.