BRILLION (NBC 26) – The most popular sport in the world is now represented in a small town in northeastern Wisconsin.
Two volunteers from Holy Family Parish in Brillion – Jared Hause and Katie Micksch – said they saw a need for more sports opportunities in the Calumet County town and joined forces to start a youth soccer club.
“There aren’t really many options in our community in the fall,” Hause said. “So we thought: How about soccer?”
“I went to Brillion High School myself and didn’t have that opportunity,” Micksch said. “I had to go to other communities to play football. When he mentioned it, I was really excited. I said, ‘Yes! Let’s start laying the foundation.'”
The Holy Family youth soccer program is now entering its second year. Last fall, the club had around 40 players and three total teams. This year, the program has expanded to over 60 players divided into five teams: 8U mixed, 10U girls, 10U boys, 12U girls and 12U boys.
The program is open to all children in the Brillion area – not just those enrolled at Holy Family – and costs only $40 per player.
“Not everyone can afford a club team,” said Micksch. “That’s why we want to make sure that everyone can. Every child can have a chance.”
Both Hause and Micksch said feedback from the community has been overwhelmingly positive. One mother, Tabitha Janke, said she is already seeing the positive effects on her son.
“Football has given him more confidence,” Janke said. “He has found his niche where he can run around without getting bored and he always gives his best.”
And players like ten-year-old Anna Kees already have big plans.
“My dream is for my Brillion school to have a team so I can play in high school and maybe college,” said Kees, a sophomore.
Currently, Brillion High School does not offer a varsity soccer program for boys or girls.
Hause is convinced that a lot has happened, as the popularity of the sport is already increasing in the region.
“My dream is that these kids will be the first to have Brillion on their chest instead of Holy Family. We want to see Brillion on the chest,” Hause said. “And when we have one, what’s cooler than having your child be part of that first group?”
Participation in the Brillion-area soccer program increased nearly 50 percent from the first to the second year. Organizers said they hope to have more than 100 children playing soccer next fall.
The team trains once a week and plays games on weekends in the fall, traveling to nearby communities such as Kiel and Plymouth.
