HOUSTON — Youth soccer participation has increased in the Houston area during the FIFA World Cup, with local clubs reporting higher registration numbers as organizers expand access to the sport through scholarships and new playing facilities.
HTX Soccer, which operates clubs in Houston, Cypress, The Woodlands and other communities, said about 300 children registered over the past two weeks, marking an increase from the same period last year.
“We’ve seen an upswing for sure, in terms of our registration numbers are very positive at this time of the year,” said Simon Boddison, HTX Soccer’s director of soccer operations.
The club hosted soccer camps and World Cup watch parties during the tournament, which Boddison said helped generate interest in the sport.
“We have made some additional operational moves behind the scenes to improve and increase our market presence, but there’s no doubt about it that the World Cup has brought a lot of questions to the Houston marketplace and increased the visibility,” he said.
Houston hosted seven FIFA World Cup matches, concluding Saturday with Canada’s match against Morocco.
Local officials also launched programs aimed at increasing youth participation in soccer. The Houston World Cup Host Committee and the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority Foundation partnered on the Freekicks Soccer initiative, under which five soccer clubs in Southeast Texas will invest $1.5 million annually and provide up to 1,200 scholarships for young players.
“We wanted to grow the game, and not just grow the interest in the game of soccer, but how do we get people, kids, youth to access soccer in a way that maybe they wouldn’t be able to normally,” said Ryan Walsh, chief executive officer of the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority.
Organizers also completed improvements to 23 new or renovated soccer fields across Harris County, including facilities at Alabonson Park, Baytown Soccer Park, Blue Ridge Park, George Bush Park, Keith-Wiess Park and Moody Park. The soccer pitch used at the FIFA Fan Festival in East Downtown will also be relocated to Moody Park.
Ahead of the tournament, the host committee and Reliant Energy organized the “Road to the Cup” youth competition, which featured about 1,500 players from 125 teams for athletes ages 11 to 18.
“It just provided this really wonderful environment for kids and their families, and really created this kind of once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Meghan McConomy, Reliant’s vice president of brand strategy and marketing.
Researchers describe increased participation following major sporting events as the “demonstration effect,” in which public exposure to elite competition encourages people to take up the sport.
Boddison said registration for HTX Soccer remains open through September and expects interest in the sport to continue after the World Cup.
“I definitely think the game is going to grow within the huge Houston marketplace,” he said. “The game’s going to grow. The kids are going to be more involved. And hopefully we’re going to reach some of the kids that may not have had an opportunity in the past.”