Spokane Washington Soccer Scene Demise
'The Spokane Shadow have left in their wake a void.
With the soccer team out of commission for the 2006 season and possibly for good the Spokane soccer scene has lost perhaps its top representative, and, outside of the school season, fans now have few options for where to watch high-level soccer.
"The biggest downside is throughout the summer months there is no place for the fan base to go watch good quality soccer," said Kieran Barton, who was set to coach the team this season for the second consecutive season and who also had two playing stints with the Shadow.
Andy Billig, a vice president at Brett Sports & Entertainment, owners of the Shadow, said the void will also be felt beyond the sidelines.
"There is a significant loss for community, as a family-friendly entertainment venue," Billig said. "From fireworks nights to feeding frenzies with kids, it was a nice place to come and bring out the family."
Formerly a member of the Northwest Division of the United Soccer Leagues' Premier Development League, the Shadow had been in Spokane since their inception in 1995. In 1996, Brett Sports bought the Shadow and operated the team until closing shop March 27 after stating an unwillingness to play on the artificial turf surface at Joe Albi Stadium (the city of Spokane and the Spokane and Mead school districts have since announced a plan to replace the turf).
But if and when Albi gets a new playing surface, Billig said, it is still too early to determine the Shadow's fate for 2007 and beyond.
"It's really premature for us to make any decisions about next year," Billig said. "We have no idea what is happening with the turf at Albi. We have not received any word from the city about the turf. (Coming back) is one of the options, but that may be difficult for a variety of reasons."
Over their decade of existence, the team had sent multiple players on to play at higher levels, including Billy Sleeth, a Ferris grad who was drafted by Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire and played with the Colorado Rapids; Zach Kingsley, a Shadle Park grad who played with the Rapids; Craig Waibel, a Lewis and Clark grad who plays with the Houston Dynamo; and Brian Ching, a Gonzaga University graduate who plays with the Dynamo and is pushing for a spot on the U.S. World Cup roster.
Spokane Washington Soccer Scene Demise
With the soccer team out of commission for the 2006 season and possibly for good the Spokane soccer scene has lost perhaps its top representative, and, outside of the school season, fans now have few options for where to watch high-level soccer.
"The biggest downside is throughout the summer months there is no place for the fan base to go watch good quality soccer," said Kieran Barton, who was set to coach the team this season for the second consecutive season and who also had two playing stints with the Shadow.
Andy Billig, a vice president at Brett Sports & Entertainment, owners of the Shadow, said the void will also be felt beyond the sidelines.
"There is a significant loss for community, as a family-friendly entertainment venue," Billig said. "From fireworks nights to feeding frenzies with kids, it was a nice place to come and bring out the family."
Formerly a member of the Northwest Division of the United Soccer Leagues' Premier Development League, the Shadow had been in Spokane since their inception in 1995. In 1996, Brett Sports bought the Shadow and operated the team until closing shop March 27 after stating an unwillingness to play on the artificial turf surface at Joe Albi Stadium (the city of Spokane and the Spokane and Mead school districts have since announced a plan to replace the turf).
But if and when Albi gets a new playing surface, Billig said, it is still too early to determine the Shadow's fate for 2007 and beyond.
"It's really premature for us to make any decisions about next year," Billig said. "We have no idea what is happening with the turf at Albi. We have not received any word from the city about the turf. (Coming back) is one of the options, but that may be difficult for a variety of reasons."
Over their decade of existence, the team had sent multiple players on to play at higher levels, including Billy Sleeth, a Ferris grad who was drafted by Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire and played with the Colorado Rapids; Zach Kingsley, a Shadle Park grad who played with the Rapids; Craig Waibel, a Lewis and Clark grad who plays with the Houston Dynamo; and Brian Ching, a Gonzaga University graduate who plays with the Dynamo and is pushing for a spot on the U.S. World Cup roster.
Spokane Washington Soccer Scene Demise
posted by M.L.D. at 10:59 PM
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