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Photo by Johnny Wagner

FAIRBANKS — Of the 20 fields that comprise the Fairbanks Youth Soccer Association Complex, most were busy hosting the opening matches of the Midnight Sun Soccer Tournament on Friday.

Field 5, though, was playing host to something entirely different.

With a step-over here and a back-heeled pass there, a diving save at one end and a kick save at the other, representatives from U.K. International Soccer Camps were playing alongside several local youth.

“What we’re trying to do, is get as many kids involved in the sport as we can,” said Daniel Harrison, a coach with U.K. International. “We’re trying to improve the sport.

“We want to make kids aware that soccer is a fun sport to play.”

Harrison is one of four British coaches in Fairbanks for four weeks with U.K. International, a soccer camp provider that flies instructors around the country to staff week-long day camps.

Together, the four coaches are bringing the British-born sport to the Interior with detailed instruction focused on both technique and knowledge of the game. In doing so, at least one of the four has been impressed.

“Alaska is probably one of the better states I’ve been to that do soccer,” said Rob Hissey. “Every single night the kids are out here playing soccer. Most places they only play on weekends, but here, because of the light and the fact that the winter months are longer, everyone plays during the week.”

But continually playing is only part of what the coaches said it will take for Interior youth — and America — to catch the rest of the globe in what’s known as the World’s Game.

Among the other factors they outlined were earlier exposure, more publicity and more passion.

“From an early age, most of these guys from 5 to 6 and up, when they join a team it’s really the first time they’ve touched a soccer ball,” said Matthew Bowden. “Sometimes that’s with the parents. The parents never played soccer, it’s not in their generation. So when they come in, they have to start learning techniques right away. Whereas with us, when we’re at home we’re kicking a soccer ball around as soon as you’re old enough to walk, really.”

It’s not that American youths don’t have the same potential as the youths in other countries, they say.

The American model for introducing youth to the game actually begins competition at a younger age —the British don’t start playing organized matches until 10.

The problem is that the American model runs into trouble when kids start looking at other sports.

“I read the newspaper and it’s baseball and basketball,” said Callum Lester. “(America) needs more publicity around soccer. It needs to be publicized a lot more if it’s going to be taken seriously.”

Bowden recalled how his father would have him playing every night as a child.

Harrison remembered how “80-85 percent” of the boys in any given age group played soccer back in England.

Hissey talked of how training youth back home is easier, because they’re excited about soccer, they’re watching games on TV or in person and they’re exposed and immersed in the sport.

“Even though your country is bigger than ours, at the kid level there’s a lot of kids that play; but when they get older they don’t,” said. “They go on and play different sports. You get big college scholarships for basketball and American football. So as the kids get older, the ones that could be great when they’re young don’t progress as they get older just as much as English kids do.”