The Wesley Chapel Athletic Association (WCAA) has merged its competitive and youth soccer leagues into one program.
The new program is called the Wesley Chapel Soccer Club, which is run out of Wesley Chapel District Park.
Paul Batson, director of recreational soccer at the WCAA, said the merger was done to help the kids develop into better players.
“Recreational soccer has always been the feeder program to competitive, and with the help of Robert Bogus, who is our A-licensed head trainer for competitive, we discussed how we could better the quality of talent coming from recreational soccer to make our competitive teams local and state level champion quality teams,” Batson said.
Bogus is designing a skills program for the recreational league, which will focus on the European style of soccer to enhance ball control and teamwork.
Recreational coaches, who are primarily parents volunteering, will also learn from the more experienced trainers.
“Ultimately, this program will enhance the skills of each recreational player before they move into the competitive league if they so wish and create a better quality competitive program that we feel will be able to challenge any other program around the state,” Batson said.
Batson said the cost for the recreational league will remain $90 for U5, $135 for U6 to U12 and $190 for the oldest groups.
Practice for the recreational league begins the first week of November with games on Saturdays starting in December and running through Feb. 2. A postseason tournament follows the season.
Registration for players ages 12 and younger continues until Sept. 29, while the league for older kids ends Sept. 18. There will be a mandatory, 15-minute player evaluation in October in order to make the most balanced teams possible. To sign up, visit www.wesleychapelsoccerclub.com/.
—Kyle LoJacono
