Community support solid as FCYSA logs strong spring

Jul. 25—When the usual fast-and-furious pace of youth soccer pauses, players must have a place to sit and catch their breath.

In recent weeks, the competitors of the Oak Hill-based Fayette County Youth Soccer Association have been using a new set of aluminum benches the league purchased with financial assistance from the Beckley Area Foundation and the City of Oak Hill.

According to Ashley Chouinard, president of the FCYSA, the league matched funds from Oak Hill and the BAF to make the upgrade possible. "The league applied for a $1,500 soccer grant from the Beckley Area Foundation," she said. "It was a maintenance grant so it could only be used for certain things. Our benches, which are at least a decade old, were becoming a safety concern, so the board opted to use the money towards that.

"The Town of Oak Hill gave us a grant of $500. The league matched the $2,000 grant funding to purchase the benches."

According to Chouinard, students from the nearby Fayette Institute of Technology volunteered their time to build the benches and move them to the fields, so "it was a total community effort."

"Our board recognizes that safety is the top priority of our league," Chouinard continued. "The benches were starting to fall apart and had experienced some vandalism between fall and spring, so the majority of them were no longer safe.

"The board does so much behind the scenes that the public does not see (things like field maintenance, cleaning the concession stand, repairing the nets, etc.) It was nice to show the public a tangible item that we were able to purchase with community support."

"During the fall season, we collaborate with the coaches at OHHS and OHMS to maintain the concession stand and bathrooms and work on field maintenance together in the offseason," she concluded. "We are hopeful to upgrade the trash cans this season and are talking about potentially hosting a tournament in the spring."

----The bench upgrade came during a time when the FCYSA is enjoying considerable participation growth.

"We are a board of 13 people, so we manage a lot of moving parts in small numbers," she said. "Typically, the fall averages between 300 (and) 350 (participants)." She indicated that there are several other youth recreational leagues in the fall, including midget league football and fall baseball/softball. "Their schedules are pretty intense, so the kids focus on one sport."

"We had a record number of kids this spring, over 550, which was about 50 teams," Chouinard stressed. "With a record number of kids, we needed a record number of volunteers and sponsors. We had over 100 parents, guardians and community members volunteer to coach, over 30 businesses sponsor teams to offset the cost of jerseys, and almost 40 referees (mostly teenagers) officiate the games.

"A record number of kids also meant we needed to create more fields so more teams could play at once. (Fayette County Board of Education) was very supportive of our efforts to create additional fields in our current space. The league purchased more goals since we added additional fields, and the Lewis Center graciously allowed us access to their fields so we could have more space to practice."

Besides the normal game practice and action, the league also has a "handful of coaches working on development in hopes that our older kids will be able to travel in the tri-county area and play more ball games. Soccer camp continues to be a crowd favorite. WVU Tech assistant coach Leonard Keaveny, who is also a FCYSA board member, always does an amazing job. We have so many FCYSA and OHHS alumni that come every year to make the camp a success. This year, in addition to our alumni, Coach Kate Carr from WVU Tech and a couple of WVU Tech players helped Coach Keaveny. We are so grateful for all of the community support."

Soccer at the international level has boosted interest in the sport, Chouinard noted. "With the popularity of the men's World Cup last fall and the women's World Cup currently being played, soccer is gaining more notoriety in the States and in southern West Virginia. People are excited to be back to their normal lives post-Covid, and FCYSA is excited about the growth and love for soccer developing in our area. Our kids can compete with anyone in the state, but it is essential to get them involved as early as possible."

"Soccer is a great way to get your child involved in exercise and team sports," she added. "Practices are usually one hour a week with a game on Saturday that also lasts about an hour. Even if a child has never played before, most kids catch on quickly. In terms of equipment, it is also relatively cheap to outfit a player with cleats, shin guards, socks and a ball. (We have lots of these items in the concession stand if a player needs them.)"

Registration for the fall 2023 FCYSA season is currently ongoing. People can sign their children up online at fayettesoccer.com or in-person at Oak Hill High on July 29 or Aug. 5 from 10 a.m. to noon. Cost is $50 per child. Sibling discounts and scholarships are available. Registration closes Aug. 12.

More volunteers are always welcome, she said. "We always need coaches, which is a great way to get involved in the community, or if you are a student, it is a great way to earn community service hours."

Businesses can sponsor a team for as little as $200 a season. For more information, email fcysawv@gmail.com.

Email: skeenan

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