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PHSC launches new women’s soccer program

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In a time where countless other colleges and universities nationwide have dropped athletics programs amid COVID-19-associated budget cuts and other reasons, Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC) is making plays to boost its sports offerings.

The institution added women’s soccer to its athletics roster beginning with the 2021 fall season in August. Home games will be played on the outdoor fields of the Wiregrass Sports Campus of Pasco County, 3021 Sports Coast Way, in Wesley Chapel.

The school’s athletics department made the announcement official in a March 19 press release.

Former Tampa Bay Rowdies head coach Stuart Campbell will coach the Pasco-Hernando State College women’s soccer program. Campbell, a Wesley Chapel resident, also played professional soccer for 16 years, mostly in England. (Courtesy for Pasco-Hernando State College)

The PHSC women’s soccer program will be a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and Florida College System Activities Association (FCSAA). It joins PHSC’s other intercollegiate athletics programs, known as the Bobcats, that include women’s volleyball, cross- country and softball, and men’s basketball and baseball.

Women’s soccer marks the local college’s first new sport since 2005 — when it brought on women’s cross-country, under head coach Jackie Wachtel.

Leading the upstart team is former Tampa Bay Rowdies head coach Stuart Campbell, a familiar face and widely known figure in the soccer ranks. He’s also a longtime Wesley Chapel resident.

The English-born Campbell played professional soccer from 1996 to 2013, before serving as the assistant coach for the Rowdies from 2014 to 2015 and head coach from 2015 to 2018.

As a midfielder, Campbell played for several teams in England, including Leicester City of the Premier League, the top division of England’s football league system. He finished his playing career with the Rowdies in 2012-2013. He also was a member of the Scotland U21 national team in 1998-1999.

The decision to launch women’s soccer made sense for myriad reasons, including boosting enrollment, PHSC athletics director Steve Winterling explained to The Laker/Lutz News, in a recent interview.

The undertaking, which was three-plus years in the making, came with the blessing of PHSC senior vice president Dr. Bob Bade, who Winterling noted has a “very athletic-inclined” outlook.

Aside from being another avenue “to promote our college even more,” Winterling said, women’s soccer also provides more athletic participation opportunities for PHSC’s overwhelming female population, which represents about 61% of the student body.

Moreover, Winterling highlighted the popularity and surplus of high-level girls youth and high school soccer throughout Pasco County and the Tampa Bay region, plus the opportunity to house the program on the county’s east side in Wesley Chapel. (All of PHSC’s other sports programs are based on the West Campus in New Port Richey.)

“We’re hoping to keep young women in our area that want to continue playing soccer because there’s not a whole lot of opportunities for them,” the athletics director said.  “There’s a lot of talent out there and I think this is going to be exciting to keep some people close to home, where they can play a couple more years and maybe go on and play at a four-year (school), and that’s always the plan of our program here.”

Having a recognizable name in Campbell to lead the way seems to be another bonus to generate buzz for the program and school from the onset.

“Everybody knows the Rowdies,” Winterling said, “so if that doesn’t get you excited about soccer and somebody wanting to come and play at our college, I don’t know what would.”

Remaining logistical tasks for the program, the athletics director said, include finalizing a first-year budget, schedule, and equipment and uniform needs, as well as familiarizing Campbell with NJCAA rules, regulations and compliance protocols.

The team will offer 11 tuition-and-books scholarships to start, with another dozen or so walk-on players. Campbell will host a tryout for interested athletes on April 11 at 5 p.m., at the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus.

As for style of play, players and fans can expect lots of action and high-scoring affairs, under Campbell’s tutelage.

The coach quipped, “I’d rather win a game 4-3 than 1-0, because, at the end of the day, the product you put out on the soccer field, you’re there to entertain, and if you give the players that freedom, that license to go express themselves, I think they’ll be really, really productive.”

He added: “I want to excite the players and excite the fans to come to watch. We like to play a possession-based game that makes it exciting for the fans. In my previous role as a head coach (with the Rowdies), we always scored lots of goals.”

A place to play, develop
PHSC’s women’s soccer program — like the school’s other sports — creates another pathway for athletes who want to play college ball, but might need more seasoning and maturity before advancing to the NCAA Division I or Division II ranks, such as the University of South Florida, University of Tampa or Saint Leo University, to name a few.

Campbell cited “alarming” dropout and transfer rates among college soccer players in their freshman and sophomore years at larger four-year schools for various reasons, such as unhappiness with lack of playing time and homesickness.

Campbell explained, “They leave home at a relatively young age. They leave for college at 18 (years old), they’re in a different environment for the first time, they’re not playing and it’s a relatively short (soccer) season…so if we can give them that platform for them to grow and develop, and then if they can go onto another school, we’ve done our job, not just sending them off as soccer players, but more rounded young women.”

Winterling himself started the PHSC baseball program back in 1991 and also coached at Florida College and Florida State University.

He likewise emphasized the impact of junior college athletics serving as a launch pad for underclassmen athletes to seamlessly advance to more prominent four-year programs.

The junior college level, he said, helps younger student-athletes who may otherwise “get lost” by larger classroom sizes and increased demands of a Division I or Division II program.

“I have not heard or talked to a student-athlete that has ever regretted going two years at the state college here and moving on,” he said.

“We want our student-athletes to get their AA (Associate of Arts) degree, enjoy two years of sports, if that’s what they so choose, and then if they want to continue and go on, we work hard to find them another place to play to finish out their bachelor’s degree.”

Women’s soccer might not be the only new sport coming to PHSC, meanwhile.

Part of the athletic department’s future plans include adding men’s cross-country and men’s soccer in coming years, Winterling said. “We want to add more sports down the road.”

Published March 31, 2021

Pasco Sports Fair offers opportunities for all

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In Zephyrhills, It was a sports enthusiasts dream — for children and adults alike.

There were scaled down or mini versions of tennis, basketball, football, soccer, floor hockey, golf, virtual skydiving, even a fitness obstacle course — all offered for free, all day long.

About 1,500 people passed through the first annual Pasco Sports Fair, held Feb. 16 at Skydive City in Zephyrhills.

Three-year-old Isabelle Ruiz, of Wesley Chapel, winds up, to toss a football toward the net. Former NFL defensive end Mel Williams, left, smiles, as he watches and encourages the youngster. Williams played with the New Orleans Saints, the Washington Redskins, San Francisco 49ers and the Miami Dolphins. (Christine Holtzman)

The event was the brainchild of Pascal Collard, CEO of the new Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center, in partnership with Skydive City owners Joannie Murphy and Susan Stark.

The event was sponsored in part by Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley and Randy Blankenship of B.R.W. Contracting Inc.

Collard saw multiple benefits to the newfound event.

First, Collard, an avid skydiver himself, saw it as a way to introduce more of the Pasco County community to the extreme sport, which entails jumping from an aircraft with a parachute from an altitude of several thousand feet.

“It’s unique in the world,” Collard said, “and some people in Zephyrhills and Wesley Chapel don’t even know it exists.”

Stark agreed, adding the fair helps “demystify” skydiving to locals, a sport which draws participants from all over the world to the small town.

Said Stark, “Even if they don’t come and skydive, they come and they watch, and this is just a great source a fun for people to do here on the way eastern side of Pasco.”

She added of the fair: “It’s probably going to attract more people who are interested in seeing skydiving, than necessarily doing it, but we’ll also probably have some additional people also doing the skydiving.”

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, Collard wanted an event that gave local youth the chance to try different sports and meet former professional athletes at no cost — with the help of volunteers and vendors, such as Experience Florida’s Sports Coast, AdventHealth Center Ice, Silverado Golf & Country Club and many others.

Some former professional athletes who met with families and oversaw the sporting activities included former English Premier League forward Gary Blissett, who played for Wimbledon FC in the mid-1990s; former NFL defensive end Mel Williams, who played for the New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins in the mid-2000s; and, former Tampa Bay Rowdies head coach and soccer player Stuart Campbell.

Soccer instructor Gary Blissett practices dribbling the ball with first-year soccer player, 4-year-old Owen Baker, of Tampa. Blissett is a former Premier League professional soccer player from Manchester, England, who now resides in Wesley Chapel. He is a coach with the United Global Academy (UGA) in Zephyrhills.

Blissett, who was in charge of a soccer drill station, described the day’s activities as “more fun than teaching,” simply giving curious youth a chance to try new sports, and parents the information on available leagues and sports organizations around town.

“If people enjoy what they’re doing at their stations, and it’s something they’ve never done before, they now have access to it, they know where to go to get it,” said Blissett, the coaching director of the Spirit of Zephyrhills Florida Soccer Club youth recreational league.

By bringing those types of known sports figures along, Collard believes it offers hope to area youth that have athletic dreams and aspirations.

He put it like this: “If kids see they have access to guys like Mel Williams, they say, ‘Oh, this is real,’ because otherwise they didn’t believe it’s going to happen.”

Meanwhile, Collard, an international tennis instructor who’s trained some of the world’s top-ranked pros, believes organizing and creating more affordable athletics opportunities for youth can change the fabric of a community like Zephyrhills.

Said Collard, “I believe all the kids in Zephyrhills need sports — it keeps them away from trouble. That’s the reality. But, nobody does enough.”

Families to the first-ever event appreciated the chance to bring their children to freely try out a variety of sports. Set up like a school field day, kids that tried all eight sports stations received a goody bag and were entered for a gift prize drawing.

Zephyrhills resident Sarah Steen brought along her 4-year-old daughter, Ruth, to gauge her interest on the various sports for when she gets a little older.

“It’s pretty cool, it’s fun,” Steen said of the sports fair. “I like how she’s learning about the different sports before I go and pay the fees, and buy the helmets and everything, so we get to see if she likes it before I have to pay for everything.”

Steen added, “I want to keep her active and healthy, so this kind of thing is good because it gets the kids, it shows them the different kinds of sports they can do.”

Steen acknowledged in Zephyrhills “there’s not as many options” for youth athletic activities, whether it be lack of qualified volunteer coaches or enough interested kids who can afford to play.

She asserted, “When I was a kid, it seemed like everybody played baseball or softball. And now, it seems like they have to beg people to be a coach.”

Steen’s 15-year old son, David Castro, agreed.

“There’s not enough (recreational) leagues out here,” said Castro, a member of the Zephyrhills High School tennis and soccer teams.

Because of that, Castro noted many of his friends and fellow teens “don’t have a choice” but to spend their free time on cellphones, playing video games and so on.

So, he liked how the event offered kids something to do outdoors for free, with hopes of maybe sparking or reinvigorating athletics pursuits in others.

“I think it’s good,” he said of the sports fair, “because it’s going to get kids like wanting to go (play sports). That’s kind of the main issue around here, is there’s not enough kids interested, so you don’t really have a lot of options.”

For Ontario, Canada’s Michelle Galley Salgueiro, the sports fair gave something for her to do with her 8-year-old son, Liam, as they spent the week visiting her parents, Zephyrhills snowbirds.

The event was “perfect,” for her son, she said, “because I’m trying to get him used to more sports.”

One of those included the football station, where Liam joined in on non-contact drills consisting of footwork, sprints, and catching and handling balls.

“We will never play football, we’re not a football family,” his mother said, “but it’ll give him a chance today to try it.”

When informed the sports fair plans to be an annual event, the out-of-towner said, “We would definitely come around for this.”

Published February 26, 2020

Helping youths develop soccer skills

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Sometimes, doing whatever it takes to win a youth soccer game or tournament isn’t the be-all and end-all.

At least that’s the way Adam and Sarah Murry see it.

Adam and Sarah Murry are the owners of the Zephyrhills Elite Soccer Skills Academy, at 3905 Correia Drive, just off Chancey Road. (Courtesy of Zephyrhills Elite Soccer Skills Academy)

They think the emphasis should be maximizing each child’s soccer skills, while teaching them how to play together, in a professional, team setting.

To that end, the Murrys have been working with players at Zephyrhills Elite Soccer Skills Academy (ESSA), a 15,000-square-foot indoor soccer facility and training center, located at 3905 Correia Drive, off Chancey Road.

The private complex celebrated an official ribbon cutting late last year, but it has been developing players, ages 5 to 18, for nearly two years.

At ESSA, the focus is helping players develop their skills at an early age. The idea is to prepare them to succeed on their respective club or school teams, and possibly have a shot to become a college or professional player.

“We are all about the player,” Adam Murry said.

The academy’s approach is different than what tends to happen in American soccer, he said.

Many youth teams “play kickball,” or simply boot the ball up the field to the best forward to score goals and get a win, he explained.

In his view, however, “it’s not about the win. They’re 8 years old. We want to develop them as players,” he said.

The 15,000-square-foot facility features a full-sized turf field, advanced soccer training technology and a classroom for breaking down soccer lessons. The facility is designed to develop the individual skills of youth players, ages 5 to 18 years old.( Courtesy of Zephyrhills Elite Soccer Skills Academy)

At ESSA, young athletes get introduced to strategies like how to “play out the back.” They learn how to methodically pass the ball from player to player — to shift opposing teams out of position.

“I want my players to pass the ball, to move, to understand structure, to understand the next pass, to visually see the game,” Adam Murry said.

He went on: “It’s not just about kicking the ball, it’s about doing certain jobs, pulling the defense wide, pulling it tight, understanding all that.”

Adam Murry brings with him a unique background, spanning from England to the East Pasco area.

He is a former professional mixed martial arts fighter and semi-pro soccer player turned successful businessman.

He was a longtime director of AFC Bournemouth, of the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system, and he now owns Yeovil Town Women Football Club, in southwest England.

The Murrys relocated to East Pasco a few years ago, seeing a need for a European-style soccer training center.

Adam Murry brought his connections from overseas to Florida, staffing the facility with only UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) licensed coaches, many of whom played and coached professionally internationally.

(Kevin Weiss)

The Murrys also set up an international ID tour, which is essentially a way to help identify which players may have the potential to play as professionals or semi-pros.

In December, they took a group of U16 girls players to England, to meet with Premiership professional players and coaches, visit colleges, and play matches against various top-level English academy squads.

It’s that level of coaching and access that has already drawn kids to ESSA from as far as Clearwater, Orlando, Spring Hill and New Port Richey.

Said Sarah Murry, “We just want to get the best out of the player, given the resources and the knowledge that we have. We just want to instill what we know from experience.”

ESSA focuses on four player elements —  technical, tactical, physiological and physical.

Sarah Murry defined it as “teaching from the head down, rather than the feet up.”

That philosophy begins with building confidence in young athletes, and teaching them to learn from their mistakes in a practice or a game, Adam Murry added.

He put it like this: “You’re going to make mistakes all your life. Learn how to handle that.”

ESSA staffers also work with athletes on injury prevention, such as how to correctly accelerate and deaccelerate.

“From a young age, speed, agility and quickness is taught, and we repeat those consistently, as tedious as they are,” Adam Murry said.

In addition to a full-sized artificial turf field, the indoor complex is equipped with advanced training aids, including ICON — a 360-degree enclosed unit that uses flashing lights and vibration technology to help players improve passing, shooting, awareness, decision-making, endurance and other fundamentals.

Used by several of the top Premiership programs, including FC Barcelona, Southhampton FC and Liverpool FC, Sarah Murry claims it’s the only one being used in the state of Florida. “You can literally change a player within 3 minutes on this,” Adam said of the ICON training aid.

Video of individual training sessions also are recorded at the facility and are broken down with players, in a formal classroom setting.

“It’s a process,” Adam Murry said of bettering young players. “There’s so many dimensions to playing, we just try and work them in, and try to identity things over a certain period of time.”

The soccer academy currently has open registration for its spring player development program, for boys and girls ages 6 to 8.

The 10-week introductory program, which runs from February through April, will feature individual ball manipulation, individual block passing and receiving, individual skill building and small-sided games.

For more information, visit essafc.com.

Published January 29, 2020