Youth Soccer League Comes to Thousand Palms
After having its own athletic fields for almost 15 years, the community of Thousand Palms is finally getting its own youth soccer league. Thousand Palms Youth Soccer is set to begin this fall, and players and volunteers are needed.
Thousand Palms Youth Soccer is being organized by the Desert Recreation District, and all of the practices and games will take place at the Thousand Palms Community Park. The league will play from November to February, and sign-ups will begin T'hursday, Oct. 1 and end Friday, October 16. Parents who have children that are between 5 and 12 years old are eligible to sign up their children for $40 per child at any Desert Recreation District operated Community Center or at the District Website www.desertrecreationdistrict.ca.gov.
The league will be broken up into two divisions: Division I will be for children between the ages of 5 and 7; Division 2 will be for children between the ages of 8 and 12. Both divisions will be co-ed. Division l will emphasize the fundamentals of soccer and the importance of good sportsmanship and will encourage all children to have fun when they are playing a sport. Division 2 will also cover these same aspects of the game of soccer, but will also emphasize competition and discipline.
"To make this league work, we really need the parents and the community to get involved," says Rob Carson, Recreation Coordinator for the Thousand Palms Community Park. Carson, the organizer of the new league, says that in the time he has been working in the community of Thousand Palms he has seen a demand for organized youth sports, but no one has stepped up to organize it. While the Desert Recreation District is handling the registration process for the soccer league, Carson emphasizes the importance of the community being active in running the league.
"Parents are going to need to volunteer as coaches and take the lead,” he says. “This is their league.''
About the Desert Recreation District
Desert Recreation District has served the residents of the Coachella Valley since 1950 and is a public provider of recreational programs, activities and special events. Operating 6 community centers, 37 after-school programs, a public golf course, The First Tee of the Coachella Valley and 3 pools across the valley, the District strives to be on a first-name basis with the health and welfare of each individual member so that lives are enriched and futures ensured. We invite you to visit our website (www.desertrecreationdistrict.ca.gov) and explore all the recreational opportunities available to you. Come out and be a part of your community and experience our service that is second to none as well as affordable programming you can count on. The District also hosts various special events across the Valley including 3 free concert series (Desert Rock in Palm Desert, Live roQ in La Quinta and Musica Latina in the East Valley), the Soap Box Derby, International Sports Festival and many other fun, family events.