The Oly Town Artesians have been operating their indoor soccer programs, clinics and leagues at The Evergreen State College for the last 10 years. They have been grateful for the partnership and opportunity to bring indoor soccer to the Thurston community. This year the college has determined alternative purposes for the space to better meet the needs of their student athletes, so unfortunately Oly Town is in need of a new space to continue bringing soccer to young players and longtime athletes. If you or someone you know has a space to keep them going strong, contact playnow@olytownfc.com.
The Impact of Indoor Soccer in Thurston County
Oly Town has been bringing an incredible array of clinics and programs to youth and families in the area. They have established a strong soccer community with a dedicated following and now have many families who will be displaced without the proper space for them to teach and train out of. “We have around a thousand families who have utilized these services between September and March who aren’t going to have a place to go anymore,” shares Ryan. “We also have community-oriented leagues for adults to play in, not to mention our pro-am Artesian teams who won’t have a place to play.” Without these programs available, the community is at risk of suffering a huge loss of recreation and connection.
On top of the potential loss of indoor soccer for the Puget Sound region, there is a deeper impact economically with this shift. Indoor soccer is a popular extracurricular for all ages and attracts fans of the sport from all over. “There are thousands of people coming to play or watch indoor soccer during the length of the season that are supporting our local economy by shopping with our coffee, food, apparel, photography, film vendors and more,” Ryan explains. “This region is one of the only ones in the state that doesn’t have an indoor soccer center, so while we know it is inevitable that the county or a parks and rec department will be developing something, there isn’t anything in the works yet and that leaves a huge hole in the community.” For the business community and local economy this could be a cause for concern if people are drawn away to other areas providing indoor soccer, such as Pierce or King counties.
Support Oly Town in Continuing Indoor Soccer
Oly Town FC is looking to the community for a potential answer to their new problem they are facing. With only one month left at Evergreen, they are actively searching for a new space that can suit their needs and allow them to maintain all of their programming without skipping a beat. Currently, they are in need of a space that is between 18,000 and 20,000 square feet and has clear span, meaning plenty of uninterrupted space for continuous movement. “There are tons of warehouses and distribution centers in the area, but unfortunately a lot of them have beams and posts throughout that would disrupt the installation of an indoor soccer field,” Ryan shares. “We are holding out hope that someone might know of a space that is being underutilized or with extra clear span where we can resume operations.”
At this time, Ryan is open to alternative solutions to keep all of their indoor soccer programming running strong. With a new construction so far out of reach, moving into an established space as the sole tenant or sublessee is their only option and ideally would sustain them until a more suitable option could be made available. “We always hear that there are hopes for indoor sports venues from local municipalities, but the reality is that is 5 to 10 years from now minimum,” Ryan says. Oly Town is more than willing to be flexible with the right opportunity to maintain indoor soccer.
Even if you don’t know of a space that could work, Oly Town can still benefit greatly from your support as a season ticket holder. With their outdoor summer path to pro soccer league with Oly Town Artesians coming up, it’s a great time to enjoy local soccer while supporting this impactful organization. “For us, we want to be able to adapt to change and have support from people as we go through this together,” Ryan says. “You can easily support our efforts by being a season ticket holder, or making a donation online.” Oly Town is also getting ready for their Annual Gala Fundraiser on March 23 to raise funds for their annual programs including youth outreach and more, so stay tuned for more details so you can get involved and show your support.
Keep Indoor Soccer in Thurston County with the Artesians
However you can contribute, Oly Town is thankful for your help. Spread the word to help them discover a new space to operate out of, and be sure to check out their upcoming soccer schedules so you can support them while enjoying competitive soccer with amazing athletes. Oly Town is looking to the community it loves for support in their time of need, so whether it is a $20 donation or season ticket deposit, every little bit can help this amazing organization continue to bring indoor soccer to Thurston County. Learn more by visiting the Oly Town website and following them on Facebook and Instagram.
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