South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC) and FC Olympia are proud to announce their partnership through the forthcoming SPSCC Soccer Fields—Home of Clipper Soccer and FC Olympia.
A new NCAA-approved soccer field, located on SPSCC’s Olympia Campus, will serve as the home field for both SPSCC’s Clipper Soccer and local path to pro soccer club FC Olympia. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in expanding soccer opportunities for youth and adults across Thurston County.
“This home field partnership will create new soccer pathways from youth to adults in our soccer community,” said Ryan Perkins, president of FC Olympia and the Oly Soccer Foundation. “We’re excited to provide expanded soccer programming and strengthen our ties with SPSCC’s Clipper Athletics in the process.”
“Soccer has been prevalent on South Puget Sound’s campus for a very long time with the men’s soccer program being the very first program ever established here in 1988 and now, we recently established our women’s program here in 2021,” said SPSCC Athletic Director Vernell Willingham. “It showcases the presence we want to have in the soccer community here in the capitol region."
The two groups plan to host training and matches for both groups, physical education classes, a variety of camps and clinics, and more. The shared vision will bring more families onto SPSCC’s campus and expand access to our vibrant soccer community and pathways to higher education.
“I’m very excited to partner with FC Olympia to help expand our community resources here in the region,” continued Willingham. “This partnership makes sense in that we both assist in developing young adult athletes and even tapping in to youth levels, which is something we’ve been trying to do for a long time.”
“I personally can’t wait to see all the youth soccer players and families on campus and expanding soccer for our community through this collaboration with the college,” added Perkins. “We at FC Olympia want to thank Dave Pelkey and Vernell Willingham for their stewardship with this turf soccer field alliance and especially thankful for their belief in our ‘Path to Pro’ soccer system.”
The SPSCC Soccer Fields development also includes a smaller practice field, seating for fans, and ongoing discussions to bring a mini-pitch site for unstructured community play.
Wembley Soccer Shop has stepped up as fields’ first sponsor partner by sourcing equipment for the field. Wembley has served the Olympia soccer community for 30 years with jersey, apparel, gear, and premier equipment for clubs and facilities. As a firm timeline is established, additional sponsors will have the opportunity to engage for more community visibility.
