Pure Soccer Katy playing its role in promoting soccer locally

By George Slaughter, Special to the Katy Times
Posted 7/26/21

Two Europeans-turned-Texans are helping soccer become more popular in Katy.

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Pure Soccer Katy playing its role in promoting soccer locally

Posted

Two Europeans-turned-Texans are helping soccer become more popular in Katy.

Everick Stoelwinder and Stuart McKenzie are both from Europe. Stoelwinder is from the Netherlands. He said here have a strong interest in soccer. Many academies exist there where people can learn to play the game.

McKenzie is from Scotland. He is a fan of Rangers Football Club of the Scottish Premier League. The Rangers have won more trophies than any other professional soccer club. He also follows Liverpool Football Club of the English Premier League.

Like so many others, Stoelwinder and McKenzie came to Katy as part of the oil and gas industry. An economic downturn found them wondering what to do for and McKenzie found what he called a “Plan B.”

Both men have a passion for soccer, they saw its growing popularity. People follow their favorite foreign teams on television. McKenzie believes in the next five years, soccer will become the second-most played sport in the United States.

“It’s become very fashionable,” McKenzie said.

The men created Pure Soccer Katy, a shop and training facility that serves players, coaches and clubs.

“Like all good ideas, this came over a few beers,” McKenzie said. “One thing led to another, and before we knew it, we were opening on July 1, 2019.”

McKenzie believes one reason soccer is becoming more popular is its accessibility. For youngsters wanting to try soccer, it’s easy enough to register for the Katy Youth Soccer Club, a recreational soccer league. Families can register their players online at katyyouthsoccer.com, or at an upcoming in-person registration event. The first in-person event took place earlier this month. The second and last in-person event is from 10-11 a.m. Saturday at Pure Soccer Katy.

Online registration closes Aug. 1. Coaches will reach out to players by Aug. 29. First games are set for Sept. 11, according to the Katy Youth Soccer website.

Registration fees range from $110-$140, depending on the player’s age, which range from 5-19 years.

“We’ve tried to collaborate with Katy Youth Soccer,” McKenzie said. “We’ve always had a good relationship, and it works both ways.”

Pure Soccer Katy gives players of all skill levels a chance to learn and improve their skills. It offers skills camps and indoor and outdoor fields for practice.

One such activity is TOCA training. A small machine “fires” size 3 soccer balls, smaller than regulation, towards a player. The purpose is to develop and improve skills and technique.

Training is important both to improve skills and learn the game better. There is more to soccer than chasing and kicking a ball. McKenzie said some parents have a lack of education about the pathway that a young player might follow to reach the next level.

Stoelwinder shared a quote from the late Johan Cruyff, a respected Dutch soccer player and coach. Stoelwinder said Cruyff felt one’s level of play depended not on what he does with the ball, but what he does without the ball. A soccer match lasts 90 minutes, with a player actually touching the ball for six of those minutes.

Stoelwinder said Cruyff felt that the remaining 84 minutes, when a player isn’t touching the ball, determines the kind of player he is.

“In soccer, you have four moments," Stoelwinder said. "You have offense, defense, transition from offense to defense, and transition from defense to offense. In two of those moments, you don’t have the ball. In the other two, you do, but only one player has the ball.”

Stoelwinder said positioning, and the mental approach to the game, are important.

“Your feet are just the tools,” Stoelwinder said. “It’s way more than just using your feet.”

McKenzie said training sessions also involve working with volunteer coaches and referees. It’s about educating the parents as much as the kids.

“It’s really invaluable,” McKenzie said. “You have parents who are trying to do right by their kids.”

Soccer, youth soccer, Pure Soccer Katy, English Premier League, training facility