New soccer teams are being formed to fill a gap in competitive soccer for the Copper Country’s young women. The Houghton Football Club is in the process of forming girls’ select soccer teams and invites parents of interested local female soccer players with 2009-2015 birth years to complete a short form to express interest. 

Beginning at age 13, girls in the Western U.P. face a 10 to 22-month gap in competitive soccer as they wait for the opportunity to compete in high school soccer if their high school offers the sport. Between the end of her U14 co-ed select season and the beginning of the spring start to high school soccer, there is no opportunity for the Copper Country’s young women to participate in competitive soccer. This leads to attrition in girls’ soccer participation as they wait for up to two years to play against their peers in a non-recreational setting. 

According to Houghton FC board member and girls teams organizer, Erin Barnett, young women already must overcome additional barriers to participating in sports compared to our young men.

“Negative stereotypes about their femininity and lack of confidence are major reasons why we see our girls drop out of sports,” she explained. “A year or two layoff between competitive soccer really exacerbates this attrition leading to girls missing out on future athletic opportunities that build critical leadership and teamwork skills.” 

Houghton FC seeks to hold evaluations the week of June 17 to field all select travel soccer teams to compete during the fall season (July – October) and spring season (April — June). Tournament play will take place in the Upper Peninsula region and practices begin in late July with two to three practices weekly. 

An initial organizational meeting for girls’ select soccer will take place in early June. Anyone interested in learning more about the girls’ select teams is encouraged to complete this short form to express interest. 

About Houghton FC: 

Houghton FC is committed to positively impacting the development of soccer in our community by teaching fundamental skills, and instilling confidence and a love for the game in players of all ages and abilities to create a lifelong passion for the sport. The ultimate goal as a club is to encourage, inspire, and empower each player and participant to be able to reach the highest level possible within the game and in life while helping create leaders and individuals that will inspire others to do the same on and off the field. 

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