Soccer’s Next Generation Takes the Field

Local youth soccer organizations are seeing “the beautiful game” evolve

By Kelsey Sanders | Sept. 5, 2026

Across northern Michigan, kids are kicking soccer balls through recreational programs, travel leagues, and increasingly competitive club teams, developing skills that can take them well beyond the local field. For some, it’s simply a Saturday morning activity. For others, it’s the beginning of a much more serious pursuit.

Northern Express touched base with two local soccer organizations to see how they are helping players find fun and competition in the sport.

Gaylord Soccer League

Gaylord Soccer League is a local non-profit youth sport organization that was officially formed in the early 2000s with the mission to provide instructional development and integration of competitive youth soccer opportunities that enhance character, community, and love of the game. This league offers clinics, camps, tournaments, developmental/starter leagues, and various levels of competitive travel teams for children ages 4-18.

“We pride ourselves on development of the overall player as a person, not just a soccer player. We also offer multiple levels of play to suit different players’ needs as they develop,” says Danielle Muzyl, president of the league.

Muzyl tells us that the fall recreational league has over 500 players registered this year and about 150 players registered on its travel teams. The club started a new spring session this year that brought in about 100 kids, so in total, upward of 700 kids play soccer through the Gaylord league.

But, like many clubs, Muzyl is focused on more than just the game.

“Soccer is a team sport and that’s one of the things we love about it—it teaches the idea of a TEAM: together everyone achieves more,” Muzyl says.

The biggest trend Muzyl notices within the club is that now more than ever there is this importance of being on the “best” team and playing in the most competitive league. With that demand for more competition, the Gaylord Soccer League has created more opportunities for teams wanting a higher level of play by being accepted into the Michigan State Premier Soccer Program (MSPSP), which allows teams to register with that league in their selected division.

As far as commitment goes, that’s dependent on the level of the league that a team plays in. The recreational program consists of local kids coached by volunteer coaches, and all games and practices are held at one complex. That league is offered for U4-U14.

The travel teams start at U10, and most of those teams play in the Northern Michigan Soccer Alliance (NMSA), which serves teams out of several northern Michigan cities. Those travel teams practice at the Gaylord Soccer League’s fields throughout the week, with girls’ teams playing games on Saturdays and boys’ teams’ games on Sundays at prescheduled matches throughout the NMSA grid. The travel team coaches are more experienced and committed to the team, which also includes two or more tournaments a year. Travel soccer also consists of both the fall and spring seasons.

There are other more competitive leagues that the higher skilled teams may join, including the Mid-Michigan Youth Soccer League (MMYSL) out of the Midland/Bay City area for U12 and under. The U13 and older teams can also join the MSPSP, which is a statewide league and is currently the highest level of play that Gaylord Soccer offers.

The biggest challenge that Muzyl sees youth soccer organizations in northern Michigan facing is the lack of indoor training facilities. However, as she says, “the opportunities are growing” and it’s amazing to watch the older players become involved by becoming referees, coaching, and teaching clinics for the younger players.

If she could tell parents one thing about getting their child involved in soccer, it would be that soccer is a great starter sport whether kids stick with it or not. “It teaches coordination and teamwork while running around and having fun with simple, clearcut rules,” she says.

Antrim County Youth Soccer

Antrim County Youth Soccer started as an American Youth Soccer Organization program in the early 2000s and progressed to become its own entity in 2010. It consists of a group of volunteers and coaches who come together to offer kids ages 4-12 opportunities for fun and teamwork through the joy of soccer in Antrim County, though a child doesn’t need to live within the county to participate.

Bethanie Wilde took over as director of the program four years ago, but her love of the game started as a child.

“I played from the time that I was five until I hit middle high school, when I was injured,” Wilde says. “I couldn’t play in my high school years, but I watched my younger brother play and go on to be All-State. When I took over the program four years ago, my son had just started playing, so I was also coaching as well as being the director.”

Antrim’s soccer league has two seasons and two separate registration times to capture as many age groups with different birthdays as possible. Its fall season hosts 50-60 kids on the soccer fields, while the spring season sees between 150 and 200 kids.

“In the fall, we are competing with a lot of other sports, while in the spring, we aren’t competing as much because our season is over by the time several other sports start,” Wilde explains.

Wilde is passionate about the fact that soccer is one of the only sports that kids can start playing as young as four years old and continue to play for as long as they choose.

“I think it really helps those younger kids with their development to be able to get out, to move their bodies, to learn about how to be on a team, how to show sportsmanship, how to be accountable, and how to be dependable,” Wilde says. “I think that’s what makes youth soccer so unique.”

Registration for Antrim’s soccer league has been steady over the years since Wilde took over the program. The biggest problem she notices with the league’s trends is that the kids don’t have a good place to grow and continue playing.

“The problem with soccer up here, especially in Antrim County, is there aren’t a lot of school programs for these kids to go to once they’re done with youth sports,” Wilde explains. “In Antrim County, there is only one other school that has a school soccer team. Every other school doesn’t have a soccer team, so these kids are getting older and they’re deciding, ‘well, I want to play something that I could play in high school,’ so they tend to stop playing soccer by age 10 or 11. My hope is that with the increased interest with starting kids so young, the schools will pay attention and somebody will step up and create a school team.”

Wilde believes that like many sports, there’s much more that soccer teaches beyond foot skills.

“The one thing that I hope that kids take away from it the most is the skill of being dependable, to learn that their presence matters, and no matter if they’re the best player or the worst player on the team, that just by showing up every single week and trying your best is the greatest thing that you could get out of it,” she says. “We want to teach some life skills to go along with the soccer.”

Antrim’s soccer league is always welcoming new players; however, as of now it doesn’t have a travel team. When they have exceptionally skilled players, Wilde and her team of coaches try to provide those kids with the opportunity to join a program that can take them a step further than Antrim can provide.

The current commitment to play soccer for Antrim County is aimed at making it easy for the families.

“We have our games on Friday nights so they’re not taking away from their weekends,” Wilde says. “As far as our practices go, those are up to my coaches and their schedules. All my coaches are volunteers who take time out of their busy lives with their families, so practice is when they can be there.”

Wilde wishes more parents didn’t feel like they needed to have played soccer or know a lot about soccer to volunteer.

“We’re willing to teach everybody how to play, because the number one goal is to let these kids have fun,” she says.

As for the kiddos, “Start them young. Take 10 minutes every day to go outside and kick the ball around with your kid. In those 10 minutes, you’re not only going to make him or her a better player, but you’re going to build a connection that lasts a lifetime.”