Local family opening new soccer club for children
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IDAHO FALLS — A local family wants to give children of all ages and skillsets the chance to play soccer, so they’re opening a brand new soccer club.
Ryan Stosich, owner of ARS Flood & Fire Cleanup in Rigby, is also the founder and president of the new soccer organization, the Renegades Football Club. He and his wife, Claudia, have three children who all play soccer, but because of their differences in age, they are all on various playing levels.
That is part of why Claudia said they decided to create the club — because every kid is different but still needs a chance to grow and learn about the game.
“Everybody jokes about having another club in town, but there still seems to be a void in taking care of the kids and what they really need,” Ryan told EastIdahoNews.com. “So we thought we would love to fill that void.”
Girls and boys ages four to 18 are welcome to join the club, regardless of if the person has soccer experience or not.
Claudia said the club is meant to help develop children’s soccer skills and give them the tools to succeed.
She compares the club and what it has to offer to a buffet-style restaurant. She said families can choose, according to their situation and their child’s soccer level, if they want their child to participate in training or also play on a team.
“We’re trying to create something that’s a one size fits all – that if people want to play more and be more competitive, they can, but there’s no need to,” Ryan explained. “If they want to play recreationally and not take it as seriously, that’s available as well.”
Ryan, who’s coached for four years, said over time, they found that some clubs have a one-dimensional idea of what they’re trying to do with everyone. He believes that can be constricting for some kids and is not how he wants this club to function.
“We’re trying to make it more open-minded so that each kid and each family can choose what’s best for them and then have the most fun possible (and) learn the most about soccer that they can within that framework,” he said.
The Stosich’s will host a grand opening celebration Tuesday at McCowin Park in Ammon from 7 to 8:30 p.m. During that time, they’ll hold tryouts — mainly for trainers and coaches to gauge player’s skill levels — registration, plus food and prizes.
“We aren’t going to turn down any kid even if their soccer skills are zero because we believe that we can develop those kids,” Claudia said.
They have not yet announced how much it is to participate. But, the Stosich’s did say the prices are affordable and vary based on age groups and what type of soccer the child is looking to play — from very competitive to hardly competitive.
Ryan said they plan to open the season in mid-August.
For more information, visit the Renegades Facebook page by clicking here.