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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Playing Fields Get Hard Use From Soccer Legions Burgeoning Popularity Of Sport Hard On Grass But Good For Retailers

Ward Sanderson Correspondent

When spring came to the Valley, it brought with it 2,900 young soccer players.

That’s 500 more than last year - and nearly triple the number of youngsters who were playing the game when the Spokane Valley Junior Soccer Association was formed in 1987.

Now the pint-sized Peles are taking up every full-size soccer field in the area and nearly every other spare piece of sod they can find.

“It’s getting much harder to find places to practice,” said Dave Como, director of competition for the Spokane Valley Junior Soccer Association. “In the Valley, there are about 40 fields, but we have 227 teams in the recreational league alone, and 38 teams in the select league.”

He’s encouraging those coaching the youngest players - those as young as 6 years old - to practice in parks, school playgrounds or anywhere else there’s a patch of grass. The beginners, who are just learning basic skills, don’t need full fields except on game day, he said.

Como said he expected the sport to grow, but not like this. When the organization started in 1987, there were 904 players. In 1991, that number increased to about 1,200.

Now, with almost 3,000 youngsters vying for field time, some areas are totally overrun with the tykes.

“When I first started coaching in the Valley a couple of years ago, my team practiced at Trent Elementary, and we had its field all to ourselves, any day of the week,” Como said. “Now, you go there and there will be five teams practicing on the same field at the same time.”

Since the Spokane Valley Junior Soccer Association uses fields at many elementary and middle schools, Como has to make sure teams don’t wear out their welcome with Valley school districts.

Most of the time, coaches schedule practice times themselves with individual schools. This year, the Central Valley School District was so overwhelmed by the demand for practice space, they had the SVJSA come up with a coordinated practice schedule for all teams wishing to use CV fields.

Finding the space for weekly games isn’t as tough, but keeping those fields in tournament shape is. Constant use takes its toll, especially on goalie boxes.

“There was a time when I was coaching and I told this goalie kid to get off his knees and quit screwing around,” Como said. “It turned out he wasn’t on his knees, he was standing in a hole.”

The Valley soccer craze might wear out fields, but it is great news for retailers. Marshall Witherell owns the Just A Kick soccer specialty store at 12623 E. Sprague and another on the North Side. He said he can’t keep small-size soccer shoes on the shelves.

“We’ve seen a real increase in sales of shoes for kids as young as 6 years old,” he said.

Don Penna, who manages the Valley store and coaches a youth team, said he tried to plan ahead by ordering extra inventory, but still underestimated demand.

“Every year we order more, but we still sell out,” Penna said. “They just went crazy. I’m not sure how many pairs we ordered, but there were just hundreds.”

Why the explosion of interest in soccer? Coaches said some of it has to do with the fact the World Cup was played in the United States last year. But the increase was evident before that.

“I think it’s because more people can play it than some other sports,” Penna said. “It’s not decided by size, and players can start at a young age … (and) nobody usually dominates a soccer game. Everybody gets to kick the ball, and girls and boys can play on the same teams.”

So, despite the surprise scheduling hassles, organizers said the unexpected turnout is just the kind of dilemma they want.

“It’s a challenge, but it’s not the kind that you mind,” Como said.