Youth soccer program gets county support

            The Franklin County Commission is getting behind a new Franklin County youth soccer league.

The league is focused on increasing the opportunities for Franklin County children to get involved in soccer.

Currently Franklin County kids practice locally but have to travel to Gulf County on Saturdays every week to play their games on Gulf County fields.

Some on the eastern end of the county even play in Wakulla County because Port St. Joe is such a long trip for them.

Craig Hicks, who is serving as vice-president of the newly formed league, said over the next few years the group hopes to have lighted soccer fields at all of Franklin County’s sports complexes so that Franklin County teams can practice and play at night.

He added that by having everything local that the league could even provide soccer through more of the year than it can now.

Soccer season begins in the next few weeks, so the changes will not happen this year, but the league would like to begin getting the soccer fields ready for play so that the teams can practice and hopefully by next year the fields will be ready for competitive play.

The county commission said they are fully behind the plan.

The board agreed to have county workers begin to repair the fields as soon as possible for practices.

Over the next year they will try to get the fields in even better shape so that games can be played there.

Commissioners said the soccer program should also become part of the Franklin County youth league which will allow the county to help with some of the costs of operating the league, including insurance. 

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