In 2017, the local soccer teams U17 and U18, stunningly came home with the state titles and championships. It was celebrated by many, but old-time community members may not have realized the magnitude of this event.
We have long been a community of baseball and football, many of us know little of the international sport of soccer, the largest game in the world!
The city has done a remarkable job of creating soccer fields for these players. Today in Worthington, there are 22 adult soccer teams and many more youth teams. This is an incredible number of teams for a small community of 12,000 inhabitants.
I contend this number represents more soccer players per capita than anywhere else in the nation.
Worthington has earned notoriety statewide as being a formidable contender when it comes to soccer play. The size of the opponent’s community is of little consequence. We go up against the big cities with greater population bases. We often come back victorious, we compete at all skill levels.
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Worthington has been many things to many people. Worthington is known for the Crailsheim Exchange, Turkey Day, and also for windsurfers and music festivals.
Consider this (tryouts are going on as this is being written), this summer Worthington will have a Semi Professional Soccer Team. This is the same league as the St. Paul Black Hawks and the Milwaukee Kickers.
It will be in the same league as much larger communities throughout the Midwest.
It is not beyond reason to consider that there will be professional soccer scouts and recruitment agents coming to this community in the future to appreciate the soccer skills of our community members.
If you are looking to the future and the growth of this community, recognize and support this amazing asset and the people promoting it as they are community builders!
Soccer has come to Worthington and Worthington has every reason to stand tall and be proud! We have more soccer players, per capita, than anywhere in the nation!
Bill Keitel
Worthington
The Trust Project
