West Branch Soccer Club announces new, all-inclusive youth soccer program

RecordStaffMay 16, 2021Last Updated: May 16, 2021

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West Branch officers and board members, front row, from the left: Dezerea Bennett, Kirsten McKinney, Mindy Fortescue, Natalie Serafini, Heidi Warner, Carey McCloskey, Paula Cole, Lisa Wagner; back row, Misty Trowbridge, Jesse McKinney, Abe Stauffer, John Bennett, Jed Hill, Susie Walker, Steph Hanley.

WOODWARD TOWNSHIP, PA – The West Branch Soccer Club has announced a new youth soccer structure within the boundaries of the Keystone Central School District.

The new set-up was shared with local media at a WBSC board meeting Sunday evening at the West Branch home fields in Woodward Township. Club President Heidi Warner said, “We are very excited to bring the central Pennsylvania youth under one roof to play, learn and grow with the game of soccer.” Club Vice-President Jed Hill said, “There is a lot of potential for this program and we are motivated and enthusiastic in seeing it grow.” He said he expects upwards of 300 participants when play begins later this year.

The new set-up brings youth soccer programs from Lock Haven, Mill Hall and Beech Creek under one umbrella. Previously there had been AYSO-affiliated soccer in Mill Hall and Beech Creek, but now the programs are part of the West Branch set-up which dates back to 1984; this according to Abe Stauffer, a club co-founder and currently fields’ groundskeeper and board member.

President Warner called the new set-up a unification into one youth soccer organization; previously communication between the groups had been limited. She said the club approach will provide more focus for feeding youth players into the middle school and high school programs; previously, she said, there had been a disconnect.

The formal merger announcement said:

Starting this fall, WBSC is proud to announce that we will be offering a robust soccer program, including in-house age specific teams as well as advanced play travel teams! WBSC has merged with other local soccer organizations to bring children of all ages and all playing levels an all-inclusive soccer program serving the central Pennsylvania area.

WBSC is an inclusive, curriculum-driven soccer program designed to provide instructional, developmental, competitive, and fun opportunities for children of all ages.

WBSC offers a structured learning environment, from the basic fundamentals of the game through advanced skills. Our goal is to promote not just a love for the game but to build self-esteem, self-confidence, teamwork, respect, and promote all the implicit benefits of physical exercise.

The new set-up will provide travel team opportunities for ages 10 through 19 and in-house soccer for those ages 6 through 12.

Updated information will be available on the WBSC Facebook page at @West Branch Soccer Club.