Mahaska County Soccer Club Works To Build Soccer Community
Mahaska County Soccer Club
by Carissa Osborn
Children in Mahaska County have many opportunities to get involved in athletics through school and community programs. Research has shown time and time again that athletics help children develop social skills, learn the importance of practice and goal setting, and in some instances has been shown to increase academic performance. Mahaska County Soccer Club provides those opportunities for youth in our area.
The Mahaska County Soccer Club (MCSC) is a volunteer organization meant to help build the soccer community in this area. Soccer, while not the largest sport in Iowa, has been gaining traction over the past several years. Greg Walter is the current President of MCSC and has served on the board for over 10 years. He became involved after moving to Oskaloosa and beginning coaching at William Penn University. Walter saw an opportunity to become involved in the community and help to provide the same experiences he had as a child to other area children, including his own.
The MCSC consists of two levels-Recreation and League. The Recreation teams have various levels of play and are meant to be where youth can get started in the sport with the ultimate goals of transitioning to the League teams. League Teams are traveling teams and play at various levels. Some league teams play in the 641 League (Oskaloosa, Mt Pleasant, Grinnell, Washington, etc,), while others play in the Greater DSM League or the Iowa Soccer League, which is the top competitive youth soccer league in the state.
There are over 240 youth participating in the MCSC this season, but they are always looking to involve more children. Walter say they would love to see over 300 youth soccer players every season and mentioned they are beginning to see MCSC alumni playing at the high school and even college level. Walter stated “The MCSC is honored to be a part of getting the youth in this community playing soccer.”
Keep in mind this is a volunteer organization, so parents who love the sport and want to participate are always welcomed. The Club board has a few open positions, including Director of Coaches and Vice President. They are always looking out for coaches as well and anyone interested can contact Greg Walter at coachgwalter@gmail.com, Further information about the league and volunteer opportunities can be found on their website www.mahaskasoccer.com.
