The Warren Sentinel

Article date: June 11, 2007 

'Perfect' first season ends with sun and fun at Soccerplex

 By: Kevin Seabrooke

As cheers from area graduation celebrations filled the air this weekend, the Front Royal Soccer Association held its own season-ending party at the conclusion of its first year at the new Skyline SoccerPlex.

The “Rainbow Games” are a tradition for the association, a day of soccer, fun and food with the atmosphere of an all-day backyard cookout explained past association president Nick Crettier.

Crettier, now a division commissioner, said the unusual name comes from original concept – a soccer match featuring the best team in each division against a group of all-stars gathered from the other teams in that division.

“That’s where the term ‘rainbow’ came from,” Crettier said. “All the players wearing their different colored jerseys.”

These days, the event has evolved into a day of playoffs, he said, though two divisions – Under 7 and Under 9 – don’t keep score during their games.

“But it’s mostly a day for fun where everybody comes and we have a picnic,” Crettier said.

Each division is assigned to bring something like chips, ice and drinks, Crettier said, and the league supplies the hot dogs, hamburgers and pizza.

With 425 kids playing in seven divisions, current association president Lyle Turybury figured that well over 700 people would eventually come and go from the fields off Kerfoot Avenue.

The first piece of property to be released by from the former Avtex Fibers site, the approximately 32-acre facility has been a great success in its first year, Turybury said.

Four regulation-size soccer fields opened for play last September following a ribbon-cutting ceremony involving representatives from local government, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Soccer Association, and FMC Corp., the latter in charge of the cleanup of the neighboring Superfund site.

“It’s been perfect here, it’s so nice to play on well-maintained regulation fields,” Turybury said. “We really want to say thanks to Dan Lenz and the Parks and Recreation crews for doing such a great job on the fields every week.”

Turybury said plans for the site include another two fields as well as a larger parking area.

When that might happen is something to be worked out between the association, Warren County and FMC.

“We look forward to the continued growth of soccer in the Front Royal area,” Turybury said. “As long as we maintain support from the community, hopefully [the new fields and parking] will come sooner rather than later.”

One form of support, Turybury noted, was that with the extremely hot weather, the Linden Volunteer Fire Department had an ambulance and rescue squad at the event in case of emergency.

“They didn’t have to do that, but they volunteered their services,” Turybury said.

Crettier said that for anyone age 4-18 — a player’s age on July 31 is what that determines the division they’ll play in — interested in soccer, the deadline to sign up for the fall season is Aug. 3.

For more information, go to www.frontroyalsoccer.com