| Soccer: The Pulse of Poway |
Erin Murphy
Posted: Thursday, June 19, 2008 11:43 am
A soccer-ball flag waves high on Espola Road in Poway, right next to the country’s own Red, White and Blue. Having bred the likes of Toronto FC’s Marvell Wynne, who will debut with the U-23 Men’s National Team in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, this North County community is as proud of its soccer as it is its own country. From the youngest tykes in the Lil’ Kickers to the oldest adults in the San Diego Sports Alliance, Poway offers a variety of programs that are suitable to every age and skill level. XK San Diego highlights the pathway through Poway soccer.
Henrys Climb the Ranks from Rec to Club
Richard Henry has been a player and a fan all his life. His kids grew up going to his games, so it was inevitable that they too would develop a love for the game. When his son, Benjamin, 17, came home from kindergarten 12 years ago with a flyer for the Youth Indoor Soccer League at North County Soccer Park, his wife, Shonee, went down to sign him up for his first team. A few months later, his younger brother, Alex, 16, was registered for a team as well.
Players Get Their Kicks at NCSP
| "I think parents appreciate that their kids know their teammates more intimately, that they go to school together and have grown up in the same neighborhood." -Amy Faust |
NCSP is the longest continually operated soccer facility in San Diego County, having serviced more than 16,000 youth and adults through its leagues, lessons and camps. The family-run park boasts two arenas for recreational youth, competitive youth and adults. Its new state-of-the-art infill turf stadium is the largest arena in the Western United States.
The NCSP prides itself on being the least expensive youth sports program of any kind in Southern California, offering soccer seven days a week for youth in eight-game seasons. Unique to NCSP is the popular Lil’ Kickers program, which introduces soccer-based games and activities to youth ages 18 months to 9 years. The Lil’ Kickers Program services more than 350 players each week with families traveling as far as Alpine, Chula Vista and Temecula to attend.
Besides the price and product that NCSP offers, owner David Brennan feels the customer service is hard to match. NCSP uses paid and trained employees to run many of its programs and staff is on-site seven days a week until 10 p.m. to assist customers.
“Your fun is our GOOOOAAAL! is more than just NCSP’s motto, it’s the executive mandate to how we run our soccer programs,” Brennan said.
Although Benjamin Henry was still playing at the NCSP, he began playing on a recreational team in 1996 with the Poway Youth Soccer League. Richard Henry admits that they never made a complete switch from the NCSP to the PYSL.
“The two leagues run parallel to each other but they're just different games,” said Richard Henry, who is also on the board of directors for PYSL.
Both Benjamin and Alex Henry played on a PYSL recreational team together in 1997 before the two boys were recruited after a Poway shootout clinic to play competitively for the Vaqueros club.
PYSL Runs Parallel
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| Ben Henry immersed himself in Poway soccer at the age of 5. |
The PYSL reaches more than 1,300 families with its recreational, junior academy and competitive programs. PYSL has a popular recreational program for ages 5 to 19, in which the board has been fortunate enough to offer scholarships to youth who are interested in playing but can’t afford the cover. While the Vaqueros' competitive club participates in the Presidio League, a unique feature to PYSL is the Vaqueros' junior program, which pairs youth ages 5 to 8 who are not advanced enough for competitive club, in an intra-league competition against players of similar skill levels.
The homegrown feel is another draw that strongly appeals to Poway families.
“I think parents appreciate that their kids know their teammates more intimately, that they go to school together and have grown up in the same neighborhood,” PYSL secretary Amy Faust said. “In other clubs, teams are comprised of players from all over the county, but in Poway most of them are all right here from the community.”
Poway has struggled to keep good players around in the past. As soon as the kids would get their driver's licenses, they would bolt to more prominent clubs. In the past few years, however, older Poway teams have been setting a different precedent for the younger Poway generation. Many of the Vaqueros' U-14, U-15 and U-16 teams are comprised of all Poway kids. With Poway HS’s recent accomplishments and the Vaqueros' U-20 semi-pro team this year, the younger kids have more incentive to stay local.
Poway boys' soccer coach Gene Morris is also a coach for three of the Vaqueros' club teams. Before switching to Poway territory, Morris coached for Scripps United for 10 years.
“The talent is much better in Poway,” Morris said. “In Scripps, a lot of strong players would leave to go to other clubs in order to play at a higher level. But in Poway, we are getting kids to stay and come to Poway because we have good coaches and teams.”
Poway is big on community and PYSL strongly encourages youth to get involved. When the 2007 San Diego fires raged through the county, teams joined together to help those who had lost homes in the destruction. In a day an age where drugs and gangs are prominent in youth culture, soccer gives the youth a place to be.
“I think about where these kids would be if they didn’t have this program,” said Faust. “Craig (McGill) and Jean (Willrich) have been influential in helping many of the kids to be seen by colleges.”
High School Programs Make Titanic Leap
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| Precision Tune Auto Care sponsors XK San Diego and the San Diego soccer community. |
Many of the kids that come out of NCSP and the Vaqueros' program, like Benjamin and Alex Henry, go on to play for Morris and Jennifer Nielsen, who run grade “A” soccer programs at the local high school.
“The boys' team that won CIF this year had 13 Vaqueros' players on it, nine of whom had played together on the same team since they were boys under nine,” Morris said. “There are some good younger Vaqueros' teams that are coming through as well and I have several of the kids coming into the high school that are strong players.”
According to Morris, the relationship between the clubs and the high school in Poway is great.
“Craig McGill and Jean Willrich, the directors of coaching for the Vaqueros, have coached most of the boys that are in my high school program,” Morris said. “They come to the games and support the boys.”
In 2008, the boys' varsity team, which set a school record for the most victories in a season (20-2-4), was the Palomar League Champion, San Diego CIF Division I Champion and a So Cal Regional finalist. The girls' varsity team proved exceptional this past year, as well, finishing the season second in the Palomar League and debuting as finalists in the CIF Division I section.
“There are so many great players that come from Poway,” women's varsity coach Nielsen said.
As a former member of the U.S. Women’s National Team and the co-owner of JB Soccer Training, which helps provides specific training to individuals all over the county, Neilsen knows what talent looks like.
“Poway has a strong soccer tradition, especially last season,” Nielsen said. “Since we are graduating so many players, 12, we have a rebuilding year next year but we have a great JV and freshman team.”
Although Alex Henry will still play for the varsity squad, many of Poway’s graduating seniors, including his brother, are moving on to play soccer at the collegiate level. Benjamin Henry is headed to Palomar College to guarantee his admission into UCSD; E.J. Schneekluth is set to play for Humboldt State; and Katy Roby will hit the field for UC Santa Barbara.
Like Will Ferrell's Movie, This Semi-Pro Production is No Laughing Matter
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| Alex Henry joined the Poway Vaqueros BU-20 semi-pro team. |
Alex and Benjamin Henry joined the ranks of the recently formed Vaqueros BU-20 semi-pro team, which plays in the United Soccer League against other USL teams from Southern California. The league provides the opportunity for the top 17- to 20-year-olds to compete in a high-level competition. The team, which will complete its first season this weekend, is currently in a three-way tie for first with the LA Galaxy and the Ventura County Fusion.
“This gives the young kids in the Poway Vaqueros Club and other San Diego area clubs something to look forward to,” McGill said. “This also gives them the chance to even possibly be picked up by a professional team. We are playing an LA Galaxy development team and the Galaxy is an MLS team, so it’s a great opportunity for the kids.”
Family Matters- Not Just a Sitcom
Poway showcases widespread participation in soccer among its families. When Faust’s two children decided at a young age that they wanted to play soccer, she and her husband hadn’t the faintest idea how to even kick the ball around. Now, her two children are on Vaqueros teams; she is the secretary for the PYSL; and her husband, after helping coach, has picked up the sport himself and plays in NCSP league. It’s not uncommon in Poway to have the kids playing for both the NCSP and the PYSL, mom donning the team manager title and dad playing on a team with the SDSA or the NCSP.
“It’s very common here,” Faust said. “The families that love soccer tend to be very involved.”
Like a Mini-Wheat, There Are Two Sides to Poway's Soccer Story
Up until a few years ago, Richard Henry, who spends a majority of his time keeping track of when his boys are playing, found his time to shine with an adult league through the NCSP. While much of the focus tends to be on the Poway youth soccer, adults have plenty of opportunities to hit the field through NCSP, PYSL or the San Diego Sports Alliance.
The SDSA features roughly 122 adult recreational soccer teams for everyone from the entry-level player to the self-assured novice. While SDSA offers youth and competitive leagues on the weekend, the adult leagues generate nearly 90 percent of its community. Although all Poway soccer leagues have the primary goal of positive socialization, SDSA Director Chris Vertrees believes his program stands out in a variety of ways.
“Quality officiating can make or break a program,” Vertrees said. “That is why I only hire top-of-the-line referees of the highest quality.”
Besides the user-friendly and up-to-date website, Vertrees is intent on making sure every team involved in the league is playing at the right skill level and division. Vertrees is confident, however, that the most prominent feature about SDSA though is the top-of-the-line facility.
“We have the best indoor facility in San Diego,” Vertrees said. “The arenas are state of the art and we are the only facility in San Diego County that offers a full-service sports pub and kitchen on-site.”
Poway Pride
As long as soccer in Poway provides a healthy dose of fun for every age, this tight-knit community won’t let go of its love for soccer or lower the soccer-ball flag proudly waving in the air.
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