By Morgan Macfarlane
Over 70 Schoolcraft parents and students crowded into the Schoolcraft Board of Education meeting to hear a plea for soccer to become a club sport in the fall by parents presenting a proposal.
“The number of people that showed up to support soccer at the board meeting was outstanding! The showing of support speaks to how passionate Schoolcraft soccer people are about getting soccer into the schools,” said Freer.
Parents and students came out to show their support. Lori Freer, one of the parents spearheading this campaign, gave a presentation about the merits of soccer in Schoolcraft.
Along with Freer, a group of parents visited the high school and the middle school to get a count of how many students were interested. For the 2014-2015 school year, results showed that 21 boys and 33 girls would be interested in playing soccer.
During Freer’s presentation, she brought up many points such as cost concerns for creating a soccer club. She said it would total $5,735 for 2013/14. Freer pointed out that $2,735 would be a onetime cost, leaving $3,500 needed for each year. Concerns for how the $3,500 would be covered were also included in Freer’s presentation. She proposed holding a soccer clinic for middle and elementary school kids. In addition, Freer suggested sponsoring a high school dance, selling peeler cards, holding a Wings Stadium hockey fundraiser, or holding a soccer marathon for kids verses parents game.
As for where players could practice, Freer did point out that their practice field does not have to be a soccer field. Concern over losing kids from some of the fall sports was something that was on others minds as well. In Freer’s presentation she mentioned the opportunity for athletes to participate in dual sports. Other concerns such as how Schoolcraft High School would handle home games she felt that parent volunteers would take money at the gate and handle crowd control. Lastly, the concern was voiced about how some families will be able afford to play soccer. With the Athletic Boosters agreeing to help, Freer’s suggestion of working with those families individually to find a solution was suggested.
At the end of Freer’s presentation, a motion to create soccer as a club within Schoolcraft High School was brought forward by Board of Education member David Krum. The motion passed six to one, with Skip Fox the only nay vote.
Freer said, “It is our hope that soccer becomes a varsity sport after the club years and allows future soccer players to play the sport they love representing the Schoolcraft Eagles.”