Popularity of indoor soccer grows

Manager says thousands of players of all ages visit Las Vegas Sport Park every week

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Soccer is one of the most popular sports across the Las Vegas Valley, but long, hot summers and cold, windy winters keep local players at bay too many months out of the year.

That's why Las Vegas Indoor Soccer continues to flourish seven years after taking up residence at the Las Vegas Sport Park, 1400 N. Rampart Blvd. The two indoor fields at the facility seem to be packed with soccer players young and old all day, every day.

"Soccer has always been very popular in Las Vegas, and it continues to grow tremendously," said Meir Cohen, general manager of Las Vegas Indoor Soccer. "Vegas is a city where a lot of people come from somewhere else, and they want to stay involved in their sport.

"But six months out of the year, it's really hot, and I'd say four months, it can be really cold, so that only leaves you a couple months out of the year when it's really nice, that perfect soccer climate. So there is a lot of demand for what we do."

Cohen estimated around 2,000 players visit the facility each week.

"It's a unique business," he said. "I think our strength is knowing our customers, making sure they find the right fit, the right league they want to play in, and our managers make sure that happens. It doesn't matter if you're a beginner or experienced, we have the right place for you.

"Most of the time the players go home after the game and they feel good because they won or they feel like they should have won, and that's what brings them back -- the high level of competition. It's important for us to maintain that."

Many different groups call the LVIS facility home, including adult, coed and youth leagues at all levels of skill and experience, and popular kids' programs like Lil Kickers, which teaches soccer fundamentals to youth ages 18 months to 9 years.

"We have league play seven days a week, and if we had another field, we'd probably fill that one up, too," Cohen said. "We can fit anyone's schedule, and in Vegas, everyone has a different schedule. Anyone can come in and sign up and join a team if they need to, and a lot of times those house teams end up sticking together."

The kids usually take over the fields on Saturday mornings, and soccer isn't the only sport for which the facility provides programming. Other LVIS-run programs for kids revolve around tennis, dodgeball, basketball and the growing Lil Sluggers indoor softball program.

"We've been coming to play here for a few years now," said Paul Palacios, who competes in an adult league while his son, Marco, has participated in several sports at LVIS. "I like the competition. It's strong and it keeps you ready, keeps you in shape. And then Marco has played soccer and also done the sluggers program. He's still deciding his sport."

LVIS also is the headquarters for the 2-year-old Las Vegas Knights semi-professional soccer team, which will host its season opening game on Saturday night against a team from Phoenix. Admission to the game is free.

Last year, the Knights finished in second place in their Premier Arena Soccer League division and went all the way to the championship final. Cohen is hoping the constant traffic in and out of the facility will translate into continuing development of the semi-pro team.

"There are some ex-pros on this team and it shows how high the talent level is here," he said. "Hopefully, one day, it will grow into a professional team in Las Vegas, because the city needs a sports team to call its own."

LVIS is currently signing up youth for winter camps, which begin on Dec. 31. New leagues are always forming and new players are always welcome. For more information, visit www.lasvegasindoorsoccer.com or call 233-3600.