July 21, 2010

Prescott Valley experienced its own British Invasion of sorts when Challenger Sports set up its British Soccer Camp June 28 through July 2 on the amphitheater soccer field.

With the Yavapai College soccer scoreboard looming from field's edge, 85 aspiring soccer stars as young as 2 braved the heat to learn British-style "football" from five young coaches

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April 21, 2010

Youth soccer teams from as far away as Vancouver, Canada, and Colorado will descend on the tri-city area this Friday through Sunday for the annual Yavapai Cup.

Yavapai Soccer, an Arizona Youth Soccer Association (AYSA) member celebrating two decades in Prescott Valley this year, is playing host to the tournament.

Mary Sterling, YSL president, said that as of Sunday 111 teams of 7- to 18-year-old boys and girls from across Arizona as well as Colorado, New Mexico and Vancouver were registered for the event.

Ed Andert, who doubles as the 2010 Yavapai Cup's director, said the clubs will bring an estimated 3,300-plus visitors and provide an economic impact of at least $1 million over the three-day weekend.

The tournament will be played on the Town of Prescott Valley's fields at Mountain Valley Park, Antelope Park (behind Coyote Springs Elementary School), Quailwood Park, Viewpoint Park and Pronghorn Park, as well as Bradshaw Mountain High School, two of the lower fields at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott and fields in Chino Valley, among others.

Yavapai Soccer, which is operated entirely by volunteers, offers a wide range of opportunities to boys and girls who are interested in playing soccer, from Prescott and Prescott Valley to Dewey-Humboldt and Mayer.

It features a 10-week recreational season for those ages 3-16 and a club/select season for players seeking a higher level of competition. Club/select squads conduct their tryouts over the summer and play from September through May...

Philip Reid, Bradshaw Mountain High School's varsity boys' soccer coach who doubles as YSL's director of coaching, said he oversees the level of coaching in the club, from the recreational to the competitive clubs.

In order for the league to gain more structure, Reid said he is developing a coaching curriculum and educational program that league coaches will follow to develop their players' skills. Backed by coaches' clinics and training sessions for its 35-40 recreational teams, the hope is that some of the league's rec players eventually will join its competitive clubs.

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March 31, 2010

Hundreds of children ages 3 through 18 participate each fall in the Yavapai Soccer League's 10-week recreation program.

But YSL also supports a half-dozen select competitive teams for a season that spans September through April. Two U11 (under 11) teams, one U13 team and one U16 team exist for boys, and a U12 and a U16 team for girls are forming. The league encompasses the Quad City area, and in fact, all of Yavapai County.

"Yavapai Soccer caters to every type of player from recreation to serious," said new coaching director Philip Reid, who also is head boys' soccer coach at Bradshaw Mountain High School.

YSL president Mary Sterling said the league suspends club play during the high school season so athletes can play for their schools. But that season has ended and the club teams are in full swing.

Reid noted the annual Yavapai Cup is coming April 23-25 on fields all around Prescott Valley, Prescott and Chino Valley. More than 90 teams participated in 2009, filling up hotels all the way to Camp Verde. The Arizona Youth Soccer Association sanctions the tournament.

The league also will host the British Challenger Soccer Camp June 28-July 2. Coaches and players from England will stay in the homes of YSL families.

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April 21, 2009

If soccer's your game, your weekend plans are set.

One week after AYSO hosted a 72-team tournament to close its season, the Yavapai Soccer League (YSL) ups the ante with a 94-team field for the Yavapai Cup. The event is expected to draw more than 1,400 players.

"The tournament has grown significantly this year so we're pretty much managing it as best we can," Tournament Director Ed Andert said Tuesday. "It got very popular this year ... the popularity of the tournament has just mushroomed."

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