It’s the fall season, which means its football season and yes, that includes soccer. Marion and Mullins recreation departments got off to a hot start organizing their youth football leagues with more than 150 children combined participating. Children between the ages of 8 and 12 are taking the field with Marion featuring four teams and three teams strapping up helmets in Mullins.
There are also as many as 16 youth soccer teams in the county. To get prepared and learn a few tips, Mullins recreation department director Allen Floyd invited coach Kevin Varnado and his Francis Marion University men’s soccer team to hold a clinic this past week.
“We pretty much brought our team out, teaching them some fundamentals to use as they move forward with the game,” he said. “Basically we just want to reinforce the proper technique and try to encourage them to keep playing the game as they get older.”
Varnado and his squad organized three different stations to teach both experienced players and the youngsters kicking their first kick out of the game. The coach said he was happy to see more children at the park compared to last year when rain forced the event to be held in a gym.
On Saturday, Marion County’s first ever organized Pop Warner youth football team held a home opener at Mullins High School for a special family and friends day. The Marion County Cowboys won their fourth consecutive game to start the season with a 25-13 victory over the Charleston Ravens at Mullins High School.
Head coach and organizer Leo Phillips said his team of 18 children ages 12 and under is enjoying a successful start in the SC Midlands league. The team is already ranked among the top teams in the state, he said. The squad features children from Mullins, Marion, Nichols, Conway, Florence and Timmonsville.
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