Clarion County Developmental Soccer League Started Season Saturday

Chris Rossetti

Chris Rossetti

Published April 24, 2018 4:18 am
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SHIPPENVILLE, Pa. (EYT) — A relatively new developmental soccer league in central Clarion County got its season started Saturday at the Clarion County Park just off Exit 60 of Interstate 80.

(Coaches instruct some of the players during action at the Clarion County Park Saturday. Submitted photo. All photos in this story are courtesy of Beth Uckert)

The league, which is affiliated with the Clarion River Valley Strikers competitive soccer club, is run by one of the Strikers board members, Matt Uckert, who saw a need for a developmental league after moving to Clarion County from North Carolina almost three years ago.

“We got here and there was no developmental league,” Uckert’s wife, Beth, an Oil City native who is coaching in the league, recently told ExploreClarion. “We have three kids and had the oldest one involved in a program when we were in North Carolina.”

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Matt Uckert, a third-grade teacher at Clarion Elementary School, took it upon himself to start a co-ed developmental league in Clarion, which serves boys’ and girls’ ages four through 11 in three divisions — 4-years old and 5-years old division, 6-years old and 7-years old division and 8-years old to 11-years old division. There are approximately 130 kids playing in the spring season, which started over the weekend.

“Matt is doing it himself with the support of the Strikers organization,” Beth Uckert said. “He has been involved in soccer his whole life. He grew up in upstate New York and played soccer and then went to Wilmington (N.C.) with his coach in hopes to further his career before an injury cut his dream short.”

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Beth Uckert said when the couple decided to move back to the area she grew up near, they wanted to keep their kids involved in soccer but there wasn’t a league in the fall or spring for little kids, just during the summer through the YMCA.

“We aren’t trying to take anything from the YMCA,” Beth Uckert said. “We just wished there was something in the spring and the fall. The feedback we have gotten is tremendous. It’s just been a great response.”

The first spring season was the Spring of 2017 and the Fall of 2017 was the first fall season for the program making this Spring the third season and second Spring for it.

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“We have practices Monday through Friday at the Clarion County Park, one practice night per team per week,” Beth Uckert said. “The games are on Saturday’s and it is a 6- to 8-week season with six games per team.”

There are currently 16 total teams in the league — four in the 8-11, seven 6-7 and five 4-5 — and while all the games are officiated they really don’t become competitive until you get to the older age bracket.

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“We want the 8 to 11 years old to sign up for the Strikers,” Beth Uckert said. “Four through 7 years old is more about building skills so that they hopefully move up as they age. We have seen kids signed up for the spring from last year that are at a different age level this spring. The parents are excited to see them move up.”

Matt Uckert has tried hard to get kids from all of the surrounding school districts involved in the program, which costs $40 per season, sending out flyers to all of the surrounding schools.

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And while he is a coach on one of the Strikers teams, he also spends time at many of the developmental practices, which are mainly coached by parents, coaching and teaching both the kids and the parents some of the finer points of the game.

“He is trying to give the kids some good coaching,” Beth Uckert said.

Beth Uckert said Clarion University women’s soccer coach Sean Esterhuizen has been helpful as well.

“He has helped run a coaching clinic for the parents,” Beth Uckert said. “He is very helpful and supportive.”

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The developmental league has gotten support from many local businesses to sponsor the teams’ uniforms including from The Carpet Barn, Applebee’s, M&B Concrete and DuBrook Ready Mix of DuBois.

While the Spring season has started and the league isn’t accepting new players this year, anyone interested in having their child play in the fall or anyone interested in helping to coach should contact Matt Uckert at matthew.uckert@gmail.com.

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