Religion

By PATRICK BUTLER
Religion Editor

Demand exceeds supply when it comes to soccer, said Tyler Azzuri's Academy Director Bryan Brady.

"There are simply not enough practice fields for kids already willing to play the game," he said on Monday. "The city is missing out, because we could also be having large-scale soccer tournaments here in Tyler that could easily attract 150 teams. They would eat, sleep and play in Tyler. The problem is, there are not enough fields to accommodate them."

The city of Henderson is taking steps to grab a hold of the potential sports market. A ground-breaking ceremony in August marked the development of a 19-field soccer complex scheduled to open in the fall, in time for the upcoming soccer season.

According to information on www.hendersontxsoccer.com, one goal of the new complex is to attract the large-scale tournaments Brady is talking about.

"Few seem to realize just how popular soccer has become in the past 10 years," Brady said. "It's exploding everywhere."

Tyler's Salvation Army has a soccer vision and grass growing on land already purchased and slotted for soccer field development, said Aaron Todd, youth director at the Tyler Corps of the Salvation Army.

"We've leveled the field and growing grass on it right now," Todd said. "All we need is financing for topsoil, a fence around the field and some extra equipment. We have everything else. The program is in place and we have the goals ready to set up."

Tyler Azzurri is willing to network with other soccer clubs, academies or associations, said the club's co-founder, Corey Huber.

"We want to see soccer succeed in Tyler," he said.

ENCOURAGEMENT: Azzurri Coach Mitch Smith of Tyler dishes out post-scrimmage high fives to a group of girls in the U-10 (under-10 years old) class. Tyler Azzurri stresses that coaches display “Godly character” as a foundational part of the athletic curriculum.
(Staff Photo By Mark Roberts)