State teams not on national level
Posted on Wednesday, July 23, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Sports/232123/
The best youth soccer teams in the country have gathered in North Little Rock this week to play for national titles.
So, where are the teams from Arkansas ?
No team from Arkansas advanced past the quarterfinals of Region III play last month in Raleigh, N. C. In fact, only the Little Rock Futbol Club’s 15-under boys team made it out of pool play, losing to Georgia 2-1 in the quarterfinals.
That’s not something unusual for Arkansas teams. But according several in the state, including Arkansas Soccer Association President Gayle Smith, those teams are getting more competitive and the disparity between soccer in Arkansas and in north and south Texas is getting smaller. Of the 12 teams (six boys and six girls ) that advanced from Region III, nine were from either north or south Texas.
“I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think that in the five years, we could have a team advance to the national tournament,” Smith said.
While several teams from Arkansas have won at least one match in the regionals in recent years, it was the way the LRFC team won that gives hope that the tide is turning.
“The kids were talking after we won at the regional and one of the kids said, ‘ We made history, ’” said Anita Paul, whose sons Brennan and Evan play for LRFC. “They beat a team [Mississippi ] 6-0. In the past, we were losing 6-0. So, to go out and beat a team like that, I think it did a lot for these kids.”
The reasons why Arkansas doesn’t have any teams at this week’s U. S. Youth Soccer National Championship at Burns Park vary according to those heavily involved with the sport. But the top two reasons given are the lack of participation in the sport at the club level and beyond and the split power base of the sport in Arkansas.
Little Rock Futbol Club director of coaching Julian Owen estimates that there are 23, 000-25, 000 kids playing soccer in Arkansas. In the Dallas area alone, that figure is more like 250, 000.
“You go to tryouts in Dallas and there will be 750 kids trying out for a club team,” said Little Rock dentist Les Cooner, who has two sons and a daughter playing for LRFC.
One of the parents watching tryouts for the 16-under team at the LRFC soccer fields on Riverfront Drive said that he’d heard of 75 kids in Dallas showing up for a club tryout... for one position.
“If you look at the history of soccer in Arkansas, elite competition is a fairly new thing,” Cooner said. “Little Rock Futbol Club has been around only since 1980. Heck, they had professional teams in Oklahoma by 1980.”
The other major contributing factor is that the talent in Arkansas is mainly divided between central Arkansas and Northwest Arkansas.
Owen said he’s fairly certain if those two parts of the state were ever able to combine teams they’d consistently get to nationals.
“Over the years, it’s been easier for central Arkansas to drive to Memphis and play teams there and it’s been easier for Northwest Arkansas to drive up to Tulsa and play teams there,” Owen said. “If we could somehow combine the kids, we’d have a much better chance.”
Other barriers that have kept teams down in Arkansas are being torn down as the sport continues to develop in the state.
Owens was the state director of coaching for the Arkansas Soccer Association for 10 years and has been the director of coaching for Little Rock Futbol Club for four years. In that time, he said soccer has dramatically improved in Arkansas.
“I’ve been in Arkansas for 15 years, and each year it gets bigger and better,” said Owen who moved to the United States from Wales in 1993. “Most of the guys I have coaching for me now were kids that I coached when they were younger.”
For Arkansas teams to make it to the national tournament, Owens said it will take a continued effort by former players to stay involved.
“We’ve got to continue with our grass-roots soccer, which are our youngest kids,” Owens said. “The future will be bright if the kids are continuing to come out at a young age and we keep improving the coaching and the understanding and education of our parents.”
Things like having the national tournament in Arkansas probably don’t hurt, either.
“Unless our kids are sick or on vacation, they will be out there watching the best players in the nation compete,” Owens said. “I told our parents after the regionals — our kids didn’t know what the level of competition would be like at the regionals until they saw it. I think seeing the best competition in the nation can only make them better.” At a glance WHAT 56 soccer teams ages 14-19 from four regions competing for national championships. WHEN Today-Sunday WHERE Burns Park, North Little Rock TICKETS Free PARKING $ 10 per day; $ 25 for the week SCHEDULE Pool play will take place at 7: 30 a. m., 9: 30 a. m., 11: 30 a. m. and 7 p. m. today, Thursday and Friday. Championship games begin at 6: 30 p. m. Saturday and 7: 30 a. m. Sunday.
Girls team capsules, page 5 C