Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
Midland gets a new franchise
 |
by Richard D. Lee
Midland Reporter-Telegram
Professional soccer is coming to the Permian Basin.
In association with the Midland RockHounds, "West Texas United" will begin play in April 2009 at Grande Communications Stadium as part of the United Soccer League.
"We look forward to a team in West Texas for soccer," RockHounds general manager Monty Hoppel said. "The venue is perfect, and the level of soccer will be excellent."
The "West Texas United" will be the ninth member of the Premier Development League, an under 23 years-of-age league that serves as a proving ground for the best players from the U.S. and Canada.
There are currently five PDL clubs in Texas (Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, El Paso, Houston and Laredo) plus teams in Clinton, Miss., Baton Rouge, La. and New Orleans.
Each club in the PDL consists of 26 players, with 18 designated for each game. Each team is permitted a maximum of five foreign players on its active game-day roster and a maximum of seven foreign players on its master roster.
Additionally, three of the 26 players on the roster must be under 19-years-old while a maximum of eight players can be over the age of 23.
"The PDL has a very high level of competition within the USL," RockHounds assistant general manager Jeff Von Holle said.
Von Holle, who will serve on the Board of Directors and handle soccer operations for "West Texas United," said the PDL provides an outlet for players to work hard, get better and improve upon their talents.
"Some players have already won national championships," Von Holle said. "Some have even been drafted into Major League Soccer."
The "West Texas United" will play all eight of its matches at Grande on dates in which the RockHounds are on the road.
"Grande Communications Stadium will be one of the finest facilities in the league," Hoppel said. "To have both stadiums (Grande and Citibank Ballpark) utilized during the spring and summer is great for the sports complex and the community."
Hoppel, who also serves on the board of the West Texas United Soccer Club, is confident the people of Midland will support the new soccer franchise like they have supported the RockHounds.
"West Texas, and the Permian Basin have been remarkable in its support of the RockHounds," Hoppel said. "There are already a lot of soccer fans here in large part to the strength of the youth soccer programs. The two sports side-by-side, all spring and summer, what could be better?"
Hoppell said more than 50 million dollars have returned to Midland's economy since the inception of the Scharbauer Sports Complex.
"When we first moved to the complex in 2002, it was our mission to do as many things as possible besides just baseball," Hoppel said. "We've hosted concerts, Olympic softball games, church events. We've hosted a number of activities, and now we're going to have soccer."
Over the next three weeks, the "West Texas United" will hold a "name the team" contest in which fans will be given the opportunity to come up with a nickname for the club. The person whose nickname is ultimately chosen will receive prizes as part of the contest.
In association with the Midland RockHounds, "West Texas United" will begin play in April 2009 at Grande Communications Stadium as part of the United Soccer League.
"We look forward to a team in West Texas for soccer," RockHounds general manager Monty Hoppel said. "The venue is perfect, and the level of soccer will be excellent."
The "West Texas United" will be the ninth member of the Premier Development League, an under 23 years-of-age league that serves as a proving ground for the best players from the U.S. and Canada.
There are currently five PDL clubs in Texas (Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, El Paso, Houston and Laredo) plus teams in Clinton, Miss., Baton Rouge, La. and New Orleans.
Each club in the PDL consists of 26 players, with 18 designated for each game. Each team is permitted a maximum of five foreign players on its active game-day roster and a maximum of seven foreign players on its master roster.
Additionally, three of the 26 players on the roster must be under 19-years-old while a maximum of eight players can be over the age of 23.
"The PDL has a very high level of competition within the USL," RockHounds assistant general manager Jeff Von Holle said.
Von Holle, who will serve on the Board of Directors and handle soccer operations for "West Texas United," said the PDL provides an outlet for players to work hard, get better and improve upon their talents.
"Some players have already won national championships," Von Holle said. "Some have even been drafted into Major League Soccer."
The "West Texas United" will play all eight of its matches at Grande on dates in which the RockHounds are on the road.
"Grande Communications Stadium will be one of the finest facilities in the league," Hoppel said. "To have both stadiums (Grande and Citibank Ballpark) utilized during the spring and summer is great for the sports complex and the community."
Hoppel, who also serves on the board of the West Texas United Soccer Club, is confident the people of Midland will support the new soccer franchise like they have supported the RockHounds.
"West Texas, and the Permian Basin have been remarkable in its support of the RockHounds," Hoppel said. "There are already a lot of soccer fans here in large part to the strength of the youth soccer programs. The two sports side-by-side, all spring and summer, what could be better?"
Hoppell said more than 50 million dollars have returned to Midland's economy since the inception of the Scharbauer Sports Complex.
"When we first moved to the complex in 2002, it was our mission to do as many things as possible besides just baseball," Hoppel said. "We've hosted concerts, Olympic softball games, church events. We've hosted a number of activities, and now we're going to have soccer."
Over the next three weeks, the "West Texas United" will hold a "name the team" contest in which fans will be given the opportunity to come up with a nickname for the club. The person whose nickname is ultimately chosen will receive prizes as part of the contest.
 |
 |
|
| Last week shows why Six-man is so great to watch | High School Tennis |
Article Rating
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of mywesttexas.com.
Submit a Comment
We encourage your feedback and dialog, however we reserve the right to delete any post we see that may be considered slanderous, excessive and/or foul language, or any post that we may deem inappropriate.
You must register with a valid email to post comments. Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Registered users sign in here: |
Become a Registered User |
News
Sports
Business
Entertain
Life
