YMCA kicks off spring soccer season with a bang
Published on Wednesday, April 10, 2024 at 11:34 AM
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10U Golden Eagles celebrate after scoring on April 6th (Beth Scarborough Thornhill | Contributed)
Chilton County High School varsity boys soccer head coach Brandon Gurganas took the first kick during the opening ceremony on April 6th. (Beth Scarborough Thornhill | Contributed)
The 10U, 12U and 14U teams during the Chilton County AYSO Spring Season YMCA Opening Ceremony on April 6th. (Beth Scarborough Thornhill | Contributed)
The 12U White Lightning and FC Red faced off on April 6, the opening weekend of the season. (Beth Scarborough Thornhill | Contributed)
Chilton County YMCA CEO Rory Patterson (left), YMCA Deputy Director Lloyd Lykes, YMCA Director Kelly Davenport, Josh Elmore, Jason Calhoun, and Chilton attended the opening ceremony on April 6th. City Council members Billy Singleton and Don Driver; (Beth Scarborough Thornhill | Posted) )
10U Ice Dragons shaking hands after the game on April 6th (Beth Scarborough Thornhill | Contributed)
Written by Carrie Reeder | Editor-in-Chief
The YMCA of Chilton County USA Youth Soccer organization's 2024 spring season opened April 5 and 6 with the most players and teams in program history. The program has more participants in the spring season than in the fall season, and the 2024 spring season is scheduled to have 321 players from 34 teams ranging from 6U to 14U. This number is up from 240 players in the spring of 2023 and nearly 100 more than the 222 players in the fall 2023 season.
“We've had tremendous growth…This is our biggest season yet,” said program coordinator Rebecca Corey.
Chilton County YMCA Director Josh Elmore initiated the program and laid the foundation for Corey to take over in fall 2021. Corey said Elmore was a great person to lean on and learn from during his time as coordinator, and he appreciates his efforts. He was instrumental in the advancement of football in Chilton County.
The opening ceremony for the spring season was split into two days due to the large number of teams and players, with the 6U and 8U teams taking center stage first on April 5th. The relationship between the YMCA soccer program and the Chilton County High School soccer program continued. Jorge Castillo took the first kick on the honorable opening play of the day as he develops into the current CCHS senior soccer player.
The 10U, 12U and 14U teams were recognized at the opening ceremony on the morning of April 6th. Shelby Leanne Danison sang the national anthem, and YMCA board members and Clanton City Council members Billy Singleton and Don Driver were in attendance. CCHS varsity boys soccer head coach Brandon Gurganus took the honorary first kick on the second day.
“It's been a blessing…It's been fun. More and more kids are coming into the (Chilton County) high school program,” Corey said.
As the only high school or club soccer program in Chilton County outside of the YMCA program, CCHS has developed a farm system-like relationship with the AYSO program, which feeds players into the Tiger program. The AYSO program has hosted former and current CCHS soccer players as referees during seasons in the past and plans to continue in 2024. The YMCA also has some former AYSO players and current CCHS soccer players coach the team. In the same way.
Corey said having the CCHS program here retains kids who want to play high school or club soccer in Chilton County. Without it, children would have to attend schools outside Chilton County or be home-schooled to compete at these levels. Corey's son, a current player at CCHS, is an example of one of those kids.
“My son was homeschooled up to a point, but he plays soccer and now there's a great program in high school, so I thought he should go,” Corey said. “If we didn't have that program in high school, we would have had to continue homeschooling him so he could play at Alabaster. For the kids, it's something they can be passionate about. It’s great to have that.”
Although not all of the players in the AYSO program attend Clanton schools, Corey said he has seen players transfer to CCHS from other schools in Chilton County and be able to play in the program. Her hope is that more high schools in Chilton County will have soccer programs and that her 300-plus soccer players in 14U, her AYSO program, are looking for clubs and programs after the age of 14-15. is to expand your options.
The YMCA of Chilton County's AYSO 2024 Spring Season has a record number of 8U teams (11 teams) and 14U teams (4 teams) participating.
