SKY Soccer Club celebrates opening of new indoor facility
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WNKY) – SKY Soccer Club celebrated the opening of its new indoor facility Thursday, giving local athletes a place to train and participate in sports year-round.
The 35,000-square-foot facility expands SKY Soccer’s ability to offer programs regardless of weather and provides additional space for camps, training and other athletic activities.
SKY Soccer Club President Chase Embry said the facility was initially created to provide players with an opportunity to continue developing their skills during the winter months.
“The more touches you get on the ball, the better off we’re going to be,” Embry said.
But the facility has already become more than just a place for soccer. Embry said the additional space has allowed the club to expand its programming, including a full-day summer camp that combined sports, crafts and educational activities.
“It’s allowed us to improve, increase, provide more programing for us,” Embry said.
SKY Soccer has been operating since 1979 and now serves more than 3,000 participants through recreational, academy and select soccer programs.
The club also offers a TOPSoccer program for athletes with disabilities and hosts two tournaments each year that Embry said bring about 7,000 participants and attendees to Bowling Green.
The club has also partnered with Warren County Public Schools and Bowling Green Independent Schools through the Innovation to Grow grant. The partnership helped SKY launch its Kickstart Academy, which provided 132 students with equipment and transportation to participate in the club’s recreational program.
“We’re able to bring 132 kids from schools, providing them with shorts, cleats, balls, shin guards,” Embry said.
Warren County Judge-Executive Doug Gorman, a former Western Kentucky University soccer player, said soccer has played an important role in his connection to Bowling Green.
“Soccer is the reason I’m in Bowling Green, Kentucky,” Gorman said.
Gorman said the lessons children learn through soccer extend beyond the field, including teamwork, decision-making and giving back to the community.
“The lessons learned on the soccer field are so vitally important in life,” Gorman said. “I’m proud that the youth that’s going to come through here, they’re going to be difference makers in our community.”
Gorman also credited local leaders and organizations for investing in recreational opportunities and said the new facility is an important addition for Warren County.
“This is something we’re extremely proud of,” Gorman said. “It’s a great day for our community, a great day for Warren County.”
SKY Soccer officials say the facility will continue to expand the club’s programming and give athletes more opportunities to develop their skills throughout the year.
