Youth Soccer League enters second season

HARRINGTON - The Lincoln County Youth Soccer League was formed in the spring of 2023, with kids participating from many areas of the county. Due to the success of the league the first year, organizers are gearing up for a second year.

"We had 17 teams from four different towns," League Coordinator Jon Evans said.

Teams consist of kids from kindergarten through 8th grade and each team is two grades combined, co-ed and they play by simple rules.

"We did not expect to have many teams the first year, but ended up with 175 kids," Evans said. "It was crazy."

The new five-week season begins April 20 and continues until the final two-day tournament May 18-19 this year. Besides the teams from Harrington, Odessa, Davenport and Reardan, they also had one team from Wilbur last year.

"The team had to drop out before the season ended," Evans said.

One parent who was involved last year was Nellica Koch, who served as the coach and coordinator for the Wilbur team. "My daughter played and had a blast," she said.

Evans called soccer a great alternative to other spring sports.

"This is the only sport where all the kids are involved 100% of the time," he said.

Evans himself was never involved in soccer until the last couple of years. He started the league because his kids are really into sports and don't like baseball or softball in the spring.

The first venture into soccer was when he put together a team from Lincoln County, primarily from the Harrington area, that played with the Medical Lake Soccer League. He decided to try starting a league in Lincoln County.

"I grabbed people I knew, and it was a huge success," he says.

Last spring, the newly formed Lincoln County Soccer League, played for five weeks and held a final tournament in May. Between players and fans, over 500 people were at the tournament. According to Evans, every team qualifies for the tournament.

At the end of the season, organizers also gave out medals and trophies. Organizers will be posting statistics and have added a seventh-and-eighth-grade age bracket this year.

Evans may be a familiar face. He serves as a Lincoln County Deputy, often in the western part of the county. He is a transplant to Lincoln County married to a Harrington native and has three children.

"This year I am expecting some pretty big things from some of the teams," he said.

Leadership of the league is already preparing for the season and registrations will be available on the league Facebook page soon.

Besides a need for kids and parents to get involved, organizers are always looking for referees, scorekeepers and coaches. "

You don't have to have any experience," he said. "We will show you what to do."