“They rolled up their
sleeves, got dirty and did
a lot of the grunt work.”
A
fter 20 years of planning and waiting,
the West Mifflin Soccer Club hopes
to host games at a new facility in the
fall season.
Club president Tim Jefferies says he’s
cautiously optimistic the new soccer
complex will be ready when matches
start in September. The new facility
is located behind Playmor Bowl on
Buttermilk Hollow Road. The complex
will have two full-size fields that can
accommodate all the club’s teams,
which have previously played at two
separate locations. It will also include
a concessions stand and a building
for equipment storage. Two rounds
of fertilizer have been applied to the
field and Jefferies says he hopes the last
treatment will be complete in time for
the season to start. He says people have
discussed the need for a new soccer field
for more than 20 years and it is very
exciting to finally see it happen.
Jefferies also says he hopes the
league will grow in the fall season to
include 18 youth teams, which would
be a 50 percent increase from the 12
that participated in the spring season.
Registration will begin in July and the
cost is $55.
Participation in the West Mifflin
Soccer Club has grown since last year
when only about 60 players registered.
Jefferies says that wasn’t enough interest
to organize a full schedule of games.
In addition, funding had declined and
attendance at board meetings had also
waned. Instead of cancelling the season,
a slate of newly elected board members
asked the Pittsburgh Soccer Academy
to run a series of training clinics so that
players would stay involved. The decision
helped the spring season to be successful,
Jefferies says.
The new generation of board
members, including Jefferies, has helped
reorganize the club and revive interest in
it. Jefferies decided to run for president
of the organization because he grew up
in West Mifflin and played in the club for
14 years. He also coached and officiated
games as well. Now, he has two sons who
play in the club.
Jefferies says the new board members
are very energetic and have helped him
organize fundraisers and promote the
soccer club. They have also done a better
job of communicating with parents via
email and social media and have a new
website that is more user-friendly. Several
fundraising events have improved the
club’s finances and the money will be used
to purchase equipment.
“They rolled up their sleeves, got dirty
and did a lot of the grunt work,” Jefferies
says of the board. “It is certainly nothing I
would be able to do on my own.”
Previously there was little activity in the
off-season, but Jefferies says the club is
now trying to offer opportunities for yearround development.
“In past years, once the season was over,
the club was forgotten until the following
season started back up,” he explains.
To prevent this from happening
again, the club has asked the Pittsburgh
Soccer Academy to host a youth soccer
camp from 4 to 7 p.m., July 6 - 9, at
Borland Field on Irwin Run Road. The
cost is $140. An extended youth soccer
camp, which begins at 1 p.m., will also
be available for $190. A high school
preparation camp will also be offered
July 24 - 27 at Borland Field for $140.
Members of the West Mifflin Soccer Club
will receive a discount when they register
for any of the camps.
Jefferies says he hopes the changes have
laid building blocks that will ensure that
the West Mifflin Soccer Club continues to
provide children with the opportunity to
develop as players and individuals.
“Soccer gives kids the opportunity to
form friendships and exposes them to
other kids in the borough,” he says. “Any
time kids play on a team it gives them the
camaraderie of [working together] for a
common purpose. I am a big advocate for
sports in general, and soccer is a fun game
that provides a source of fitness.”
For more information visit:
leaguelineup.com/wmsc. n
West Mifflin | Summer 2016 | icmags.com 11