Category All Art Classes Classical Music Concerts DANCE Etc Exhibits Families Farmers Markets Film Happenings Holiday Holiday Lectures Music (non-classical) Theater

Submit events

PHOTO BY RICK WALTER

HAPPY BOSS. Marian Bowers, who now owns and operates the Soccer Center, has seen two years of hard work start paying off.

Super Soccer Mom

She made it her business to assist soccer players’ goals

By Rick Walter

On a late afternoon in December 2005, the doors of the Soccer Center at 2610 Bay St. were padlocked, ending years of use the building had provided for Tacoma soccer and lacrosse teams – not to mention its function beginning back in 1941 as a general exhibition hall, the largest in the city before the Tacoma Dome and the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center.

The leaseholders said they were not earning enough to keep it open. This was a long way from when the Tacoma Better Housing Exposition opened up with a big band orchestra. In addition to its use in the recent years before it closed, it had been used as a stockyard and a dance hall as well as a sports center.

With the apparent demise of the property, in stepped Marian Bowers, who had been working at the center. She and a business partner decided to take on the $11,000 lease.

“We were convinced it had a lot of upside to it, basically it needed to be managed. People needed to know it was open when it was supposed to be, and that their games would be on schedule.”

Bowers came into the project with a fair amount of experience managing soccer leagues, all of which began when she first became a “soccer mom” and helped organize her own son’s team some 15 years ago.

When Bowers, also the owner of the Tacoma Stars, took over the center on Jan.13, 2006, there were about 75 teams participating in league play. Today, there are 150.

“I’m sleeping a lot better now,” she said in a recent interview.

There was no big trick for turning things around.

“Consistency,” she said. “You put out a good product and you give your customers reliable customer service.”

Bowers now feels the center is stable and she is ready to introduce a few new wrinkles to the operation.

She hired Mati Bishop, former Seattle Sounders media relations director, to be general manager through the 2008-2009 season. Bishop has been involved with the indoor game in the Pacific Northwest since 2006 and has worked with both the Snohomish Skyhawks and Seattle Wolves FC.

“Tacoma is an established program that is ready to reach for the next level,” Bishop said. “I’m excited about the future of this club and am already hard at work to make myself a big part of it.”

Projects that Bishop will undertake in his first season at the helm of the Stars will include running a new tryout tournament format, putting together a reserve team and increasing promotions and marketing in the Tacoma community with an eye on creating a fan base for a future professional indoor soccer franchise in the area.

“There is an amazing amount of potential here in Tacoma,” he said. “This program has a rich history of support and I’m looking forward to helping to write the next chapter.”

The Stars will hold the tournament-formatted open tryout at center on Sept. 13 and 14. The cost to tryout is $35 and every participant is guaranteed to get three matches with different teammates to prove themselves in front of the Tacoma Stars staff.

Players ages 16 and over interested in playing the highest level of indoor soccer in the area are encouraged to try out. The Stars will be filling spots on both their first team competing in the Premier Arena Soccer League’s Northwest Division and their developmental reserve squad based out of The Soccer Center. Reserve players will be available for call up to the first team as warranted and needed through the course of the PASL season.

“This year we’re holding our tryout in a format that will allow players to get more than a brief glance over a two hour period,” Bishop said. “We want every player that tries out to get a good look and have a good experience in the process.”

Training for the Tacoma Stars will start in September and the PASL season runs from December through March.

The tryout works like this:

Each player in the tryout will be scheduled to play three matches through the course of the day. These matches will be with and against different groups of players selected based on the luck of the draw.

Players will be evaluated on their overall indoor soccer skill, leadership and organizational abilities, competitive attitude, versatility and attitude.

After every player has played three matches, some players may be chosen to play additional matches for further evaluation.

No results will be announced at the tryout. Players will be notified by telephone or email following the tryout about their status with the team.

This fall the center will also be starting an adult beginner’s class, beginning Sept. 4. The six-week session will concentrate on basic skills and some intramural games. For registration for this and other fall programs, visit www.soccercentertacoma.com.

Story Tools