Since 2001, the Henderson County Soccer Association has been a sports staple in Athens. Their spring season is set to begin March 19, with signups happening right now online or in person during the next two weekends at Coleman Park.
HCSA is a recreational soccer league for boys and girls, in which there are no tryouts required or pre-requisite skills to play.
“It is such an incredible soccer community in our town,” said Rosanne Green, parent of a U12B Athens United player. “There really are so many talented players and I am proud to get to watch my children be a part of it.”
The U4 teams begin at age 3 with basic skills and a lot of coach involvement. As skills progress, so do tournament opportunities, as the league expands through the U16 level and age 18.
Most games take place Saturdays at Coleman Park, although some of the older teams will travel at times to places like Canton and Palestine. Practices will be scheduled after the coaches meeting, which will occur in mid-February.
Last fall, two HCSA teams won first place at the North Texas Soccer Tournament of Champions, including the U14G Chelsea team and the U12B Athens United team. There are many other teams that also placed in tournaments last fall and they look forward to doing the same again in 2022 tournaments.
The Henderson County Soccer Association is a non-profit organization and the $75 registration fee is put back into the program for field maintenance, referee costs, and other team and field needs.
“As a parent, I’m thankful more than anything for the HCSA board members, coaches, volunteers, and parents who dedicate so much time to making the program available and for bringing their kids out to play,” Green said.
All coaches do so on a volunteer basis and many return year after year. The Trinity Valley Community College head soccer coach, Antonio Ledesma has coached for the HCSA and is currently serving on the board.
“We are lucky to have him on our team,” said Karina De la Cruz, Registrar for the Henderson County Soccer Association.
They are always needing more coaches.
“We definitely enjoy the high school players coming in coaching our younger teams,” De la Cruz said. “We would love to see more of that!”
Referees are the only paid position and the HCSA is always looking for more referees. HCSA is willing to pay for someone to complete a referee clinic, as long as you commit to being a referee with them.
If you are interested in signing up to play, please visit Coleman Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 5 or from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 6.
You can also register online at: https://hcsa.gotsport.com/. Fall season sign-ups usually take place in July or August.
If you are interested in coaching or being a referee, please contact Karina De la Cruz at karina.delacruz1119@gmail.com.
For up to date information about the program, please follow them on Facebook at Henderson County Soccer.