A new soccer club is forming this fall for Mount Vernon, Lisbon and Springville athletes.
An informational meeting is being held Sunday, March 5, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Mount Vernon Middle School.
Richard Lewis, one of the organizers of the new American Youth Soccer Organization group, said the goal is to create homes for boys and girls who are interested in playing soccer by offering more opportunities for practices and games, from age 5U through 15U.
“We are not looking at this as a competitor to any of the local parks and recreation programs, but rather, a complimentary program,” Lewis said.
The AYSO season will offer 20 total games, 10 in the fall, 10 in the spring, as well as a tournament that concludes at the end of the spring season.
Lewis said that the cost for those interested will be reasonable, with any proceeds raised going directly into purchasing necessary equipment for new teams.
Lewis said he also sees this as an important step in feeding the soccer programs at all three schools – Mount Vernon, Lisbon and Springville, by keeping youth interested in soccer the opportunities to play at all ages up until middle school.
“We have similar programs that are available for other sports, like softball, baseball, volleyball and wrestling,” Lewis said.
As new AYSO teams, the group will be part of the Cedar Rapids/Marion AYSO opportunities, which means some of the games played on Saturdays will be against Marion teams.
“Practices will be local, based on the town these athletes are from,” Lewis said. “Games will be played on Saturdays and, depending on the number of teams we have started in each age division, may be played here or the furthest away for travel would be against teams from Marion or Cedar Rapids at the Marion complex.”
Lewis notes there will be no dues needed for the local teams, and will be a more cost-friendly option than enlisting in a more professional club in neighboring communities.
“There’s a chance to continue to build their skills with more coaches, and play alongside some of the same teammates they’ve played alongside in parks and recreation leagues,” Lewis said. “We won’t be turning over teams each year like they do in Marion or Cedar Rapids.”
Lewis said there will be a coaching workshop held for new coaches of these teams early next fall, and the program will draw on experienced coaches like Nikki Ciha, Lewis and Cornell College’s Nate Grosse to help new coaches get proper support and experience.
“I can say that being a coach of parks and recreation teams and at the middle school level has enriched my life so much,” Lewis said. “You get so much more out of it than just being a spectator and working with so many youth to improve their skills.”
Lewis said the club will be selling items with logos this spring and early next fall at CauseTeam to help bolster funds, reducing the start up costs for the number of teams.
“Any revenue we make will go back into the new club, either in buying necessary equipment for the new teams to making sure that registration costs are not a deterrent for anyone who would hesitate to join because of financial issues,” Lewis said. “We don’t want registration to be a stumbling block to any participant.”
If people are interested in knowing more about the club but unable to make the informational meeting, contact Lewis at [email protected] or via phone at 401-662-6336.
While registration forms will be available at Sunday’s meeting, registration in the new club will not be finalized until fall 2023.
“We’ll be able to take registrations from May up through late July or even August,” Lewis said.