Soccer league extends its reach

Like a lot of parents, Spring resident Kathy Savell first entered the world of youth sports through her child.

She stayed with Fun-Fair-Positive Soccer because of how they treat all children.

“I like it because every kid gets an opportunity,” said Savell, who’s now FFPS’s director of uniforms. “You don’t have to be an experienced player, you don’t have to be a great player. Even handicap children are able to play.

“We will find a way to put everybody on the field, whether it’s a financial disability – we’ve got a scholarship program – or a medical disability, we will find a way to put them on the field. Even if it’s as a sixth player and their parent has to help out, we will find a way to put every kid on the field.”

That level of equality has fueled the organization’s expansion.

What began in 1986 as a small league founded executive director Jack Hendrie and other concerned parents in Katy has grown into a city-wide operation, with thousands of players across 22 locations.

As many as 25,000 players were expected to enroll this year.

“We play five-side soccer, and we have a rotation system where every child gets to play every position in every game,” Savell said. “We have balanced teams, to where we have an equal number of beginning players and experienced players, so every team has the same odds of winning.

“And then it’s fun, fair and positive. We like to encourage the parents to be positive role models, and say, ‘Good, go, great,’ stuff like that, instead of reprimanding your child because they didn’t make a goal or something.”

FFPS has leagues in the Humble, Kingwood, The Woodlands, Oak Ridge, Magnolia, Katy, Spring, Klein, Tomball and CyFair areas, and Savell said they’re currently considering adding more.

Each league must have a minimum of 100 players to form enough teams for a season.

For more information, visit www.ffps.org or call 1-800-828-PLAY (7529).

“We have quite a few volunteers answering those phones, so there should always be an opportunity to talk to a human being and ask them questions,” Savell said. Tigers head to state 7-on-7

Katy opens its trip to the 7-on-7 state tournament against Belton at 1 p.m. Friday at the Veterans Park and Athletic Complex in College Station.

Plano East and Mission Veterans Memorial also are in the Tigers’ pool.

The top two teams in each pool advance to championship bracket play Saturday, with the remaining teams going to the consolation bracket.

The Division I championship game is slated for 4 p.m. Saturday.