Soccer Center Draws Scores Of Teams

Spokane is becoming a soccer town, inside and out.

The latest addition to the scene is the Spokane Soccer Center, which opened at 7320 E. Nora on Oct. 19. Activity at the indoor center started slowly and has steadily picked up steam, said Brian Dreves, general manager.

“It’s been awesome. It’s been very, very good.”

The center currently has 101 teams, divvied up into several different leagues. His goal is to have 150 teams, Dreves said.

The leagues span all ages and abilities: Beginners, young, old, coed.

“The men’s open league is incredible. They have Shadow players, ex-GU players. It’s really good high-quality soccer,” Dreves said.

The opening of the new indoor soccer center means the Spokane area now has three facilities to play the sport.

“Spokane has plenty of teams to support three indoor soccer facilities,” said Kevin Mosher, manager of the Fore Seasons Sports Dome in the Valley. The arrival of the Spokane Soccer Center hasn’t affected his business at all, Mosher said, and the dome is still running soccer leagues.

At the South Hill Indoor Center, manager Peggy Best said the facility currently has about 100 teams playing.

The new Valley facility was built specifically for the sport, rather than converting an existing building into an indoor soccer field. It is regulation professional indoor size. The field is 185 by 85 feet. It has actual hockey boards that are 6 feet high and 8 feet at the ends. The ceiling is 32 feet high at the peak. The field itself is springy, but not too bouncy.

“It’s state-of-the-art Astroturf and has a foam backing,” Dreves said. The Astroturf pile is 5/8 of an inch. “It’s the pile that makes its feel cushy.”

With the high ceiling and a rule that allows the ball to be kicked the length of the field, the center is a good place to learn the game of soccer, Dreves said.

“For kids this is a great facility. It really relates to outdoor … They can really move the ball,” he said. “Hopefully this helps them improve their soccer.”

Games run every 50 minutes. Spectators can sit on barstools at the midfield or on bleachers at either end. For those not playing, there are video games and pinball machines and a retail shop full of soccer gear.

“I pride myself on the fact that all games start on time,” Dreves said.

He’s also committed to running a family-oriented center, where people feel safe and welcome.

“Ninety-eight percent of the time I love doing my job,” Dreves said. “But there’s that 2 percent of players who are always in a bad mood. There’s nothing you can do to please them.”

Hiring the best referees available is one way of keeping that 2 percent under control, Dreves said.

“Our refs are excellent. I tried to pick the best. They always control the game,” he said.

Only a couple of red cards (when a player is kicked out of a game) have been issued since the center opened, Dreves said.

The problem players aren’t in the men’s league, Dreves said. The problem is with certain men in the coed leagues, he said. “Coed is pretty tough.” He cited an example: When a husband sees his wife get run into by a male player on the other team. The husband often wants to retaliate, he said.

Dreves said once or twice he’s had to have a little chat with such a player and remind him that the game is just for fun.

“I have a `macho rule,”’ Dreves said. “There’s no need to take shots that blast a woman in the face. They should be in control.

“It’s not that important to score a goal.”

To emphasize the recreation aspect of the coed league, men have a two-goal limit per game, women’s goals are worth two points and women take all free kicks.

Dreves wants to bring newcomers into the game and have those people compete against teams of the same ability.

“You don’t have to be a super-athlete to play,” he said. “When you see a woman score her first goal, it’s really cool. She’s doing cartwheels.”