PILOT MOUNTAIN — From 10 a.m. to noon this Saturday and on Jan. 30, the Pilot Mountain Youth Soccer Association (PMYSA) will be holding signups at the Armfield Civic and Recreation Center for their spring soccer season.

League play will be available for youngsters between the ages of 4 and 18 at a cost of $40 per participant, with a cap of $100 for families with three children. Enrollment forms are also available on the PMYSA Web site at www.mtpilotsoccer.com and may be mailed in with enrollment fee. All enrollment forms must be received by Jan. 30.

Initial practices are scheduled to begin on Feb. 27 with play scheduled to continue through approximately June 1. A majority of the games, depending on age, will be held at the Armfield Civic and Recreation Center.

Youths will be taking part in a 10-game schedule, with some ages also having an end-of-season tournament. All participants will be guaranteed of being on the field for at least half of each game.

The program was initially established in the fall of 2002 by a group of local soccer enthusiasts and supporters as part of the Armfield Center youth sports program. It has since become a private, non-profit entity and, over the years, has experienced substantial growth.

With the growth in numbers came a demand for a spring league to be added to the original fall schedule. The popular spring program debuted in 2007 and has since grown to equal its fall counterpart, with both leagues now regularly drawing over 200 youngsters each season from both Surry and Stokes counties. Last year’s spring league saw a record 234 youths sign up for play.

According to PMYSA Vice-President Marc Easter, the all-volunteer program relies heavily on parents and supporters to fill rolls ranging from coaching and refereeing to organization and maintenance. Local businesses and individuals are counted on to sponsor teams in order to aid in covering program expenses.

Sponsorships for this year’s program are still available at a cost of $175 for individual team sponsors and $200 for sign sponsors. After the initial year, repeat sign sponsorships are $100 each year.

“This is a lot of work,” Easter noted, “but everybody involved is doing it for the kids. They’re our focus. It’s grown into a big program with kids getting started early in learning basic skills. It’s amazing to see how they develop. We want them to come out and have fun with everybody getting to play.

“It’s been pretty amazing the way it has continued to grow,” Easter added. “It’s a good program and a great atmosphere for the kids.”

The program has also paid dividends for local middle and high school programs. Last year saw East Surry High School field its first all-girls soccer team. And the East Surry boys’ team completed the most successful regular season in the program’s history last fall, claiming its first winning season, highest conference finish and most wins, all topped off by a first–ever state playoff invitation.

“I give a lot of credit to PMYSA,” East Surry Head Coach William Hart said. “That program has so helped soccer to grow in this area. It has created an excitement and we’re starting to reap the benefits of that. Over the next 2 to 3 years, I’m expecting that we’ll have a very good high school program, and that will be due to our youth and middle school programs.”