News : VS School Board approves boys HS soccer program

When the Iowa boys high school soccer season begins next spring, Vinton-Shellsburg will join the more than 160 other Iowa high schools in fielding a team for boys.

After a brief discussion the Vinton-Shellsburg School Board voted unanimously to approve a soccer program, beginning with the 2011-12 school year.

During a recent Vinton-Shellsburg School Board meeting, soccer players Jake Milroy and John Levis asked the board to consider creating a boys soccer program for Vinton-Shellsburg High School.

Since that meeting, the board and school administrator have been researching the cost of the issue, and the city of Vinton has provided more than $700 from its local option tax fund to help start the program.

During Monday's meeting, Jake's father, Doug, spoke in favor of school soccer, even while telling them he's never really been a fan of the sport.

"Soccer is not my game," Milroy told the board, adding that he has always preferred basketball or football. "But the kids get it. They love it."

Milroy said that all a soccer player needs is a ball. "They will use anything for a goal," he said. Another benefit of soccer, he said, is that new players can pick up the sport quickly.

Superintendent Mary Jo Hainstock had recommended that the board vote "Yes" to VSHS soccer. VS is the only WaMaC school without a boys soccer team, and many students have expressed interest, Hainstock wrote in her summary for the school board.

The program will cost an estimated $9,000 to $10,000 per year, although many in the community have expressed an interest in donating to a soccer program. Milroy also told the board that the Booster Club would be willing to help contribute toward uniforms, balls and goals.