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A6 Weekend of March 14-15, 2020 S P E C I A L TheDallesChronicle.com S E C T I O N in the company of excellence Matthew Dallman, far left, discusses strategy with his youth team during playoff soccer action earlier this year. Dallman begins his fourth year running the Gorge Soccer League and Academy. Over a three-year span, the Indoor Winter League has grown from 120 athletes to 500. Ray Rodriguez photo Matthew Dallman Making a difference for youth soccer Program has grown considerably in its first three years RAY RODRIGUEZ The Dalles Chronicle the high school program, which is great for the future of The Dalles sports.” One part of the league registration explosion is the influx of female players. Matthew Dallman started with a plan — to popular- In the program’s infancy, there were three teams ize soccer in the gorge. comprised of six or seven girls, spanning from first- In three years, the former professional soccer player through-seventh grade and current varsity boys head coach at The Dalles Now, there are four leagues with four teams that have High School has seen the fruits of that labor pay off nine girls, boosting the total to 134 girls of all ages substantially with the Gorge Soccer Futsal Indoor playing soccer. League, expanding from 12 teams and 120 athletes up “That’s what you want to see in the gorge,” said West- to 48 teams and 500 players. side Timbers, The Gorge, youth soccer coach Oscar In all, there are boys and girls teams coming from Nuñez. “It has just been great. I can’t say it enough. Goldendale, White Salmon, Hood River, Maupin, and I love watching games like this. You see girls playing The Dalles, and that is a way of bringing communities soccer. You see girls trapping the ball, you see girls together. passing the ball, you see girls communicating, moving “I did not think that this program would grow as off the ball, give-and-go’s, just things you didn’t see much as it has this soon,” Dallman said. “It is a little in The Dalles five years ago, especially at this age. It is overwhelming, but it is definitely a good problem to phenomenal.” have. To consistently double our league enrollment Devinn Ward, assistant coach of the Tornados youth numbers each year is definitely something I did not squad, uses her platform to not only teach kids the think would be possible.” game, but as a tool to help guide these athletes through Dallman, the program’s CEP, said that the goal of the life outside of practices and competition. Gorge Soccer League/Academy is to provide a fun and “There’s teamwork going into everything,” Ward said. organized learning experience for all young athletes in “It is not only skills on the court, but it is life skills. It’s The Dalles area. sportsmanship, working together to make that pass, While GSL is a recreational league, it also serves as to make that goal, and whether you make it or not, an activity for kids to gain more interest in playing having that affection and kindness for better does this more competitive soccer. program well. It’s all about the youth programs and There are several options available to boys and teaching them on and off the field or court.” girls from kindergarten-through high school, ranging The bigger question regarding the future involves from outdoor spring and fall leagues to an indoor facilities and giving the athletes a stable environment winter league. to hone their skills. Year-round soccer skills programs and camps are There have been discussions on Gorge Soccer provided through the academy, so the point of the finding its own place for use that will serve as the program is to further develop their overall skill sets main soccer hub. if they want to. In the past, games were played at The Dalles “There are a lot of people coming up and telling me Fitness and Court Club, and this past winter season, how improved the kids are at such a young age,” Dall- league contests and tournaments were played in the man said. “The quality is that much better because they gymnasiums at Chenowith Elementary School and are playing year-round. You can see the quality getting Wahtonka High School. better every season at the younger ages, which just “That’s definitely the goal, especially right around means that you will have better players coming up in wintertime, where it is very hard to come by gym space,” Dallman said. “We were lucky enough to have the school district throw us a bone and let us have these games on Sundays, so it has been great. Ideally, having our own place would be fantastic. It is some- thing that we are looking into. It’s a big undertaking, but as you can see, the numbers are there. It’s just about getting the right people together to be able to put it together.” Over the three years, Dallman has received tremen- dous support from families and community members that have allowed him to start a fourth year in the program. More importantly, sponsors such as Copper West Real Estate, McClaskey Orchards, A Kidz Dental Zone, Orchard View Cherries, Mike’s Ice Cream and Doppio Coffee, are a major component of helping Dallman realize his long-term vision of promoting soccer in the Gorge. Gorge Soccer has announced an open registration for the fourth year of GSL 4-on-4 (ages 4-7) and 5-on-5 (ages 8-18) outdoor action starting April 19. This eight-week league allows boys and girls to transition from indoor to outdoor soccer. League fees vary between $200-$300 per team, compared to roughly $700 it would cost to join a Portland-based association, so the GSL is a cost- effective way to play competitive soccer locally. Nuñez, who coached three teams to indoor championships this past winter, already has those groups eyeing more hardware for spring action. He talks about how grateful he is for all the hard work that Dallman puts in to help the athletes. “It shows his level of dedication to these kids and their parents,” Nuñez said. “You look back even five years ago and there was three months of soccer and the kids were done. To have somebody put in all that time, energy and money and everything else is phenomenal. I don’t think Matt gets enough praise. Every time I get the chance, I tell him how we appreciate him and what he has done for the community.” Sign up or find out more information about available Gorge Soccer programs by logging on to www.gorgesoccer.net. Ve hicl e ca re don e righ t a t m odera t e pric es . NW LLC Automotive & Automotive & Diesel Services MOBILE TOLL FREE (541) 980-0518 (877) 743-6997 Honoring veterans, senior citizens, and service personnel with added discounts. 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