The first batch of U.S. Census data for California was released Tuesday and whether you’re a soccer marketing executive trying to sell more tickets, a club official seeking more quality players – or simply want to see the sport grow – the state’s burgeoning Latino population bodes well for the future of the sport.

Some highlights:

*From 2000 to 2010, the number of Latinos grew by 28 percent to 14 million in the nation’s most populous state, reaching near parity with non-Hispanic whites.

*More than half of California’s children are now of Hispanic origin; the state’s Hispanic population under 18 years of age increased 17%, while the number of non-Hispanic white children fell 21% over the past decade.

“Hispanics are the future of California,” demographer William Frey from the Brookings Institution told the Washington Post.

Now, I’m making some assumptions here, including that young Latinos will continue their parents’ interest in watching and playing soccer rather than many becoming Steelers fans.

Still, if history is any guide the numbers suggest soccer will be the beneficiary of this demographic trend reshaping the state and nation.

For more details, read more here, here and here.