Local soccer coaches pushing for establishment of middle school soccer program

For the second year in a row, local soccer coaches are asking the Cascade School District to establish a soccer program at Icicle River Middle School. A presentation was made at the Cascade School Board meeting on Sept. 25. 

It was noted that nearly 60 percent of K-6 students in the Cascade School District play soccer, but there is nothing for them in middle school. 

“They are asking for the same thing as last year. That is to start boys and girls soccer at the middle school. We have received their request. (Athletic Director) Dom Coffin is doing a cost and feasibility study again,” said Cascade Superintendent Bill Motsenbocker. 

One of the key issues preventing consideration of middle school soccer last year was the lack of field space in town for practices and games. However, the new fields being created off Pine Street might alleviate that issue. 

“There’s plans for creating some green space on the Pine Street site to be available and open by fall of 2018,” Motsenbocker said. “The girls would play in fall and the boys in spring, just like the high school. We need to have more field space. That may take care of that problem, but Dom needs to make sure we have the space for that.”

Motsenbocker said they also need to look at the numbers generated last year to see if anything has changed. Then, they will have to determine if there is budget capacity available for that. 

The research last year showed there was not enough field space. 

“We didn’t get into the budget discussion. We knew what the cost would be last year to start two new teams, including all the transportation, uniforms, coaches, officials, lining the fields,” Motsenbocker said. “We really didn’t see if had budget capacity because we did not have the field space to run the program anyway. If we feel like we’ve got the practice space with the new field opening, then we’ll go ahead and look at the budget capacity and see if we can do something like that.”

No other middle school in the Caribou Trail League has a soccer program. If Cascade were to create a program, they would mostly be playing teams from Wenatchee and East Wenatchee. 

“The parents who are leading the changes are coaches of the select team right now. They would like us to take that over and have the kids play interscholastic instead of being tied up on the weekends all the time,” Motsenbocker said. 

It is not known at this point how much student interest there is in starting a middle school program. Motsenbocker said that will be part of the information gathering. The high school boys and girls coaches are in support. 

“It is high time we have middle school soccer. I have made the case for middle school

soccer on numerous occasions. It should have been done long ago, for a variety of reasons.

Yes, you have my support,” said Peter Spiegel , CHS boys’ soccer soach. 

“I emphatically support. As a government body, we are the people and we serve the people. As we were founded, this means: spiritually, physically, mentally, financially, academically and more. As a tax steward and a taxpayer I take this service to my community very seriously,” said Cascade girls’ soccer coach Glen Stefanko. “For us to make an adjustment to accommodate a need in the community is keystone to maintaining a strong government body and healthy community. In regards to soccer, we are currently grid locked with fields and lacking in healthy support of our young soccer community through the middle school years in the Cascade School District. An adjustment is imperative.”

If there is budget capacity, student interest and the field space to run the programs, Motsenbocker said the chances are strong. If one of those three areas is lacking, he said it will not go. 

“It’s not cheap to start a sport. I do know the Leavenworth Soccer Club has offered to offset some of the startup costs, like goals, uniforms, balls and equipment. Ongoing costs would be bus transportation, officials, coaches. Those are the expensive parts,” Motsenbocker said. 

Ian Dunn can be reached at 548-5286 or editor@leavenworthecho.com.