First off, thank you Dale for letting me post this here. We are doing a funding drive to help one of our truly great boys in Shelton proceed down a path towards his dream.
If you've been to the South Mason Soccer Park at all over the past 8 years or so, chances are you've seen 15 year old Manny Nicasio there. It seems like Manny is always there, whether his team is there or not. He has been one of SMYSC's most dedicated players since he started playing soccer. He's trained with his teams, he's trained with teams that weren't his, making those players better in the process, and he has helped at numerous practices for the smaller U8-U10 teams and done all of it with a consistent smile that lights up the entire park.
This dedication to soccer has started to bear fruit for Manny. This past summer, he went to do some training at Washington Premier Football Club in Puyallup. He was working out with their U15 "A" team, currently the #3 ranked team in the state at all levels of competition. His initial contact with them was just to see where he matched up and to train a bit. Within just a couple short months he was offered, and accepted a position on the team and is now center midfielder for them. Manny has played for them since then in their league games and is lined up to play in a couple of tournaments and possibly the Far West Regional League after the first of the year.
Most of the kids that play for Washington Premier, especially their "A" team, end up going on to the Sounders Academy team or college on substantial scholarships. It is one of the highest ranked and most respected clubs in the state. Games and tournaments they play in are watched by professional and college scouts and their coaches have the highest level of licensing and experience available in the country. For a player to be good enough to play soccer for Washington Premier's "A" team means they are often good enough to make soccer a profession or at the minimum, earn most or all of a college education from playing the sport.
All of this exposure and coaching comes at a price though. Most of the kids that play soccer at this level pay around $7000 per year or more for the experience. Knowing the economy here in Shelton, we all know that's just out of reach for a lot of players here. One also has to take into account the 110 mile round trip 3 days a week to train in Puyallup and a lot of games in Seattle, Everett, Lynwood, Bellevue, etc. It's easy to see that, while this experience is invaluable to a soccer player that can play at that level, it is also quite the time and monetary commitment, and that's just the local aspect of things.
Over Thanksgiving weekend, Manny will hopefully accompany his team to a college showcase tournament in Las Vegas, NV. There is another college showcase tournament in Phoenix, AZ in February. This team plays in a few of these college showcase tournaments each year as it's the best way to get the boys in front of scouts.
Depending on how they finish in the Far West Regional League in January, they will have a Regional Tournament next year and beyond that is Nationals, which this team participated in this year in Indianapolis, IN.
Each of these traveling tournaments cost each player hundreds of dollars each for airfare, hotel, food, etc. Again though, the scouts that go to these games can have a huge impact on the future of these players and that makes these tournaments important.
Manny will have 4 more eligible years to play at Washington Premier, assuming he can make the financial commitment. Clearly he has been able to live up to the talent level expected and the time, effort, and dedication he has shown says he's willing to do whatever it takes to make it in that highly competitive environment. He's done all of this while holding a 3.67 GPA in school as well!
An account has been set up to assist Manny with the monetary part of his journey. We are accepting CASH ONLY donations at any Bank of America branch into account #005312842894. There is also a Go Fund Me account at
https://www.gofundme.com/wfb9ezg4 We will be putting on fundraisers in the coming months as well to ensure Manny can continue to play soccer at the highest level. If there are any questions, please email me at john.l.jones1@gmail.com
We are of the feeling that the best soccer opportunities should be given to the best players, not just the ones that can afford it and we hope you agree. Unfortunately, all to often that's not how it works. Please consider assisting us in ensuring that Manny Nicasio, one of Shelton's brightest stars, one of SMYSC's most popular soccer players and one of the biggest success stories of SMYSC, has a chance to shine as long as possible on the large stage that has been set for him for the next 4 years.
Thank you in advance for your donation and please spread the word.
