ROCKINGHAM — Indoor youth soccer will be coming to Richmond County for the first time, according to the City of Rockingham Parks and Recreation.
The department is currently accepting registration for the start-up league that begins in March.
City of Rockingham Parks and Rec director Dave Davis credited his staff for paying attention to the community’s desires and planning for this moment. He added that the continued strong turnout during already-established spring and fall programs set the stage for the decision to introduce the new league.
“Soccer is an extremely popular sport in general, and our fall and spring participation speaks to that fact,” said Davis.
“Our staff has discussed indoor soccer for a number of years but because of scheduling and time constraints, we were unable to develop a suitable time slot for it. March is a transitional month for us in many ways and with the unpredictability of the weather, we felt that this would be a nice interlude between basketball and our spring and summer activities.”
Davis says that since this is a first-time program, the main emphasis will be on enjoying the sport and not necessarily on winning or losing. Games will be played inside Browder Park gymnasium and there won’t be a playoffs after the conclusion of the regular season.
Indoor soccer carries most of the same rules as the traditional outdoor sport, but major differences include a specialized ball, a smaller number of players and possibilities to play shots off the walls.
Overall, Davis has been pleased with the early response from locals and says they have already exceeded some expectations with regards to registration which opened Tuesday.
Interested participants must be 6 years old and cannot turn 13 on or before Mar. 1, 2020. Registration is $25 and must be paid at the time of enrollment, with the last possible day being Monday, Feb. 10.
Practices will be held the first week of March with regular season play beginning the week of Mar. 9.
Any questions may be directed to Parks and Recreation at 910-895-6810.