Congratulations to the Perry County Soccer League for being the Chamber Spotlight for May! In a recent question and answer interview with the Perry County Soccer League Board, the Chamber of Commerce has found out how much this organization has impacted our community! Check out the Q & A below:

Chamber of Commerce: When and how did the soccer league start?

Perry County Soccer League (PCSL): The Perry County Soccer League was the idea of two women, Alisa Mayo and Michelle (Sullivan) Ray, in the Spring of 2005. Alisa, being a California native, had grown up with soccer and wanted her children to have the same opportunity. The two contacted IYSA (Illinois Youth Soccer Association) to establish their affiliation and acquire the necessary training to start a league. The first official games were then played in the Fall of 2005 and we haven't looked back since.

Chamber of Commerce: How many children currently participate? What are the age limits?

PCSL: Approximately 275 children have participated in the 2009-2010 Fall and Spring seasons. They range in age from 4 to 16 years.

Chamber of Commerce: When are the seasons? How long are the seasons?

PCSL: Fall Season runs from August to October and Spring Season runs from March to May.

Each season is 7 weeks long and games are played on Saturday mornings weekly.

Chamber of Commerce: Describe how the league has grown over the past several years.

PCSL: That first season about 150 children took to the fields and by the second year 325 were playing soccer. Since then we have had steady numbers of about 300 children per season. We started out by just having one season per year and now we play to two seasons (Fall & Spring). Traveling teams have also formed and team members have competed in Carbondale, Cape Girardeau, Harrisburg, Marion, Sikeston, and Perryville.

We have also grown by making consistent improvements to our facilities without asking our players and parents to do a single fund raiser. This has all been accomplished entirely through the registration fees and the enormous generosity of our sponsors.

Chamber of Commerce: What are the future goals of the soccer league?

PCSL: Some of the future goals are of course to be able to get more children involved in the sport. We would also love to take even more traveling teams to more and more tournaments. We want to expand our current site and continue to look for other locations that might accommodate our growth. We are in the early planning stages of hosting a tournament in Pinckneyville which would help to raise more funds to cover some of the expansion and improvement costs. And ultimately, we (the board, the parents, AND ESPECIALLY THE PLAYERS) would love to see soccer become a sport offered in our school systems.

Chamber of Commerce: How do you feel the soccer league has impacted the area?

PCSL: The Perry County Soccer League has helped to inspire a sense of community unity by welcoming any child that wishes to play here. Children from DuQuoin, Sparta, Ava, Steeleville and many other surrounding communities, not just from Pinckneyville, are members of our league. We hope to be an attractive organization to parents looking at the possibility of relocating to our area. The league also brings business to the town on Saturday mornings by the amazing number of people that travel to and through town for games. And most importantly, each board member and coach strives to promote physical activity, team work and good sportsmanship, as well as, to be positive role models for the youth of our communities.

To sign up for the Perry County Soccer League fall season contact Melissa Bowen at 618-318-5561 or email to perrycosoccer@hotmail.com. You may also visit the web site at perrycountysoccer.com or find them on Facebook.