Get a Kick from MLS GO
Eau Claire United Soccer Club launches new affordable, accessible youth soccer program
An exciting new youth soccer option is making its debut in Eau Claire this fall, and it’s designed to make the sport affordable, accessible, and above all fun for boys and girls aged 10 and under.
MLS GO – the official recreational youth soccer program of Major League Soccer – will be operated in the Chippewa Valley by Eau Claire United Soccer Club. MLS GO is an extension of Eau Claire United’s nearly 30-year history of helping build kids’ love of soccer.
“When you can put on a jersey that looks like what the professionals wear, that excites kids,” said Ryan McKone, an Eau Claire United parent, coach, board member, and now program director for MLS GO. Beginning Sept. 17, the local MLS GO program will run for four weeks, then restart next May for an additional eight weeks. Each week will include one practice and one game, and Eau Claire United will provide coaching as well as mentorship from older high school and travel team members. “Not only can they give back, but these younger players can look up to them,” he said.
Since forming in 1995, Eau Claire United has been known for highly competitive travel teams, and in recent years it has extended its programming to include an academy to give younger players a higher-level experience as well as added the TOPSoccer Program, which is open to young people with intellectual, emotional, and physical disabilities.
“Our mission is to teach fundamental soccer, instill confidence, and build a love for the game of soccer,” McKone said. “This mission should not just be available to individuals who have the means to afford travel soccer.”
“Our mission is to teach fundamental soccer, instill confidence, and build a love for the game of soccer.”
In recent years, Eau Claire United has been working to start a low-cost recreational program, and earlier this year discovered that Major League Soccer had created just the kind of option it was looking for: MLS GO. The organization applied and was selected as local partner for the project.
“We are excited because the partnership with MLS GO helps to remove any cost barriers to playing soccer while getting a training curriculum developed by Major League Soccer,” McKone said.
MLS GO is designed to be low-cost: It’s $35 for EC United members and $95 for non-members. In addition, participants can apply for grants from the MLS GO PLAY FUND on the MLS GO website to offset these costs.
Registration is now open, and McKone said Eau Claire United hopes to get 50 to 75 kids aged 10 and under involved this fall. Ultimately, the goal is to start small and make sure the program is successful before growing to meet the demands of the community.
“For parents, this is an excellent program to get your child started in the game of soccer at an affordable cost,” he said. “What you will see is coaching resources and training that will more than exceed anyone’s expectations. This is a great beginning to a pathway into more competitive travel soccer or to continue on a pathway of local recreational soccer.”
As for the kids, they’ll build connections with other players, coaches, and volunteers; get to play in cool-looking MLS-branded jerseys, shorts, and socks; and develop what may become a lifelong affinity for the world’s most popular sport.
“When you go to the soccer park on a given night, there’s lots of communities playing,” McKone added. “We want to pull all those groups together to create a United soccer community in the Chippewa Valley.”
MLS GO / Eau Claire United Soccer Club
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ecusoccer.org/recreation
mlssoccer.com/mlsgo
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