On Thursday evening, the Knoxville area was doused by heavy rain.  As it continued to pour down throughout the night, many began wondering about this weekend’s Boys College Showcase.  Would the club be forced to cancel it?  As FC Alliance directors sat in a meeting, it was certainly a hot topic.  The conclusion?  Let them play!  The club has decided that facilitating a forum for college coaches to see potential recruits is too good of an opportunity to pass up.  The conditions have been deemed safe for play, and all games will be played as scheduled.

For area soccer players, there was a time when attracting college attention meant traveling to another state.  However, based on what will happen in Knoxville this weekend, times have certainly changed in the local soccer landscape.  FC Alliance is hosting their annual Boys Showcase this weekend, and over forty college coaches have registered to attend, ranging from NCAA Division 1 to NAIA schools.  Teams from seven states- Tennessee, North Carolina, Alabama, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Missouri- are scheduled to compete in front of the curious eyes of recruiters from around the southeast.  Click here for more information

FC Alliance’s first attempt at a college recruiting seminar turned out to be a major success.  Conducted at "The Field House at Amherst", over 200 parents and players attended to hear a variety of speakers.  College coaches from every level, including NCAA Division 1, helped detail the process of college recruiting.  The main focus was to educated families on putting players in a position to move on to the next level, including how to increase the chances of receiving a soccer scholarship.  To see the official recruiting packet from the seminar, click here

FC Alliance has specialized in youth soccer since it’s inception.  Now, the adults will have a chance to play.  The club will be hosting adult soccer at the new "Field House at Amherst" complex beginning February 6.  Players of all abilities, from beginners to legends, will have leagues to play in.  Three different leagues are currently scheduled: COED Over 30 Beginner, COED Over 30 Competitive, and COED Open.  The Over 30 tag is for men only; women over 18 can play in any of the leagues.  Click for more information

As the "Field House at Amherst" is being finished up, the FC Alliance winter league has announced new training and game schedules.  By having access to more time, U5-U14 age groups will have their own training hours.  The byproduct of this is that some ages have different days and start times than they did in December.   FC Alliance staff is happy to help find alternative practices for those incurring major conflicts with the new assignments.  Since the facility is still under construction, games start on January 7 and practices will begin on January 9.  Everyone will play at the Amherst facility this upcoming week.  This is an exciting time for the club and the league!  Click here for training and schedules.

Between Jerry and Tonya Creel, someone has genes which should be highly coveted in the soccer world.  Their two oldest sons, Ryan and Jon, have both surged through the regional Olympic Development program and have upcoming dates to compete internationally for Region 3 ODP teams.  These rare opportunities are generally mere pipe dreams for most competitive soccer players.  For the Creels, they are reality.  Ryan, a member of FC Alliance’s 95 Black, will soon have the chance to compete in Argentina.  Likewise, younger brother Jon of FC Alliance’s 98 Black is traveling to Costa Rica.  Click here for more.

FC Alliance’s rapidly growing North program has taken a major step forward.  In only it’s second year, the satellite group has claimed a tournament championship.  The U13 Girls North Select recently won their division at the GSA Adidas Invitational in Atlanta, Georgia.  Coached by Jason French and Tim McMahan, the team cruised through the first day of competition, before having to grind out two slugfests.  It is a significant accomplishment, as the club’s goal is to offer quality competitive soccer in all parts of the area.