As the Vail area has grown exponentially thanks to an influx of young families, interest in youth sports such as soccer has also increased throughout the community.
But while the interest was there, the opportunity to practice and play close to home wasn't, meaning plenty of long drives for parents and kids.
Bill Biagi kept hearing this, and decided something needed to be done.
"There's no reason for people to drive all the way to (Tucson) just for practice, especially when we've got fields right here," said Biagi, president of the newly formed Vail Soccer Club.
First discussed in casual conversation back in February and officially approved six weeks ago by the Pima County Junior Soccer League, the Vail Soccer Club will be the first of its kind for the growing Vail area when teams start play this fall.
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"We knew there was a need out here," said Biagi, 50, a recent retiree from the Air Force whose son Mark is an assistant coach for the boys soccer team at Cienega High School.
Bill Biagi said his son would come home from practice last fall and note that he had some talented kids to work with, but that they and their younger siblings were being forced to drive long distances to be part of year-round soccer clubs.
"We were hearing from parents who had younger kids that they were tired of having to drive so far to play soccer," said Dean Nourse, Cienega's head boys soccer coach.
Long commute is over
For Leigh Schockmel, her evenings and weekends last year were booked solid by drives from her home in the Del Lago neighborhood along East Colossal Cave Road to take 7-year-old son Zander to practices and games at a park near East 29th Street and South Craycroft Road
"He loves soccer, so we were willing to do it," Schockmel said. "But having something right here is so much easier."
"Sometimes we would get there late," said 10-year-old Zoie Spurr, who last year had to travel from Vail to games 30 minutes away.
"We never knew any of the kids he was playing against," Vivian Leitel said of 12-year-old son John, whose Tanque Verde Soccer Club team last year practiced in Rita Ranch but played most of its games at a park on the Northwest Side. "Here, you're playing with neighborhood kids."
Most area kids would pass at least one local soccer field on their commutes, but fields at the Vail Unified School District's many elementary, middle and high schools were left untouched most of the year due to a lack of a dedicated club for Vail.
The Vail Soccer Club will be using nearly all of the school fields, thanks to an agreement between the club and the school district for what Biagi calls a "very minimal fee."
Having a strong relationship with the school district made the creation of the club that much easier, Biagi said.
"That is key to what is happening out here," he said. "If I need something, people's hands go up. It's a cooperative effort from the community."
Cienega assistant principal and head football coach Nemer Hassey said the school is constantly receiving requests for use of its many athletic fields, which just shows the desire to have localized youth programs.
"There are so many people in our community that are trying to get involved," Hassey said. "It's good for all the school and for all our kids. Kids are going to join something, we just have to provide them with positive things to do."
Cienega Soccer Nights
Biagi said he expected a strong turnout for the Vail Soccer Club's first year of competition.
But in an effort to give the new club some extra publicity, he teamed with the boys and girls soccer coaches at Cienega to hold Cienega Soccer Nights, a seven-week camp held on Tuesday and Thursday nights at Cienega, 12775 E. Mary Ann Cleveland Way.
More than 200 kids between the ages of 5 and 18 have been coming to the camp, which cost $50 and runs through July 12.
"It's such a plus that this is right down the street," said Sean Ware, who lounged in a beach chair while watching 11-year-old son Jelani run through some drills during a Cienega Soccer Nights session last week.
"This camp is unbelievable," added Leigh Schockmel. "They're doing a fantastic job of teaching them skills."
Basic skills development will be the main goal early on for the Vail Soccer Club, with the emphasis being on the younger kids, says Tom Balderrama, who is Cienega's head girls soccer coach and will also coach with the club program.
"Right now we just want to see what we have out here, and take it from there," Balderrama said. "We expect to be really strong at the younger levels. We don't want to take too big of a bite and then fail in two years."
Biagi said teams that play at the 9 and younger level and below will be part of a recreational league that will play only within the Vail area, except for any tournaments those teams might enter. The 11 and younger teams and above will be part of the Pima County Junior Soccer League and will compete against other Tucson-area clubs.
As of now, Biagi said, the club is taking open registration and will not be holding tryouts that could lead to cuts.
"All of the 200 kids out here, we want them all to play," Biagi said.
Some facts for players
The Vail Soccer Club is taking open registrations for its first year of competition, set to begin this fall and run through March. The club will offer teams for ages 5 to 18, depending on the number of participants. Home games will be played on fields at Vail Unified School District schools.
Fees have not been finalized, but the club anticipates them to be between $60 and $100 per child per year, depending on the age group.
Registration can be done through the club's Web site, http://www. vailsoccerclub. com.
For more information, call 398-5850 or send an e-mail to info@ vailsoccerclub.org.
