March 2, 2023
USL2 Signs First Athlete: Desmond Wade
The Artesians announced on March 2nd the signing of Belize national player and Verdes FC pro Desmond Wade. Wade is from the Cayo District in Belize which is on the eastern coast of Central America. Wade is a dangerous forward who has international caps and considerable next level experience with Verdes FC in the Premier League of Belize. At Verdes he has been their top goal scorer in years past.
Desmond also played in a World Cup Qualifier against Turks & Caicos in 2021.
Desmond is the first signing by new USL2 skipper Liviu Bird for the 2023 season. To be ready for more USL2 player announcements follow Oly Town on Instagram and Twitter for live updates. Season Tickets and Pre-Season gear are available to purchase by visiting the Oly Town Online Store by clicking here.
Oly Heads to Everett for Arena Semifinal Showdown
A 7:30PM official game time has been confirmed by WISL (Western Indoor Soccer League) which is the region’s top professional-amateur arena league. The game will be held at the Everett Soccer Arena which is a 1.5 hour drive from the Olympia area. Tickets are available at the door as the #2 Everett City FC takes on your #3 Oly Town Artesians.
“I believe folks will see a team that is hungry and has a chip on its shoulder” said Head Arena Coach Nick Boatright. “Ultimately from a coaches perspective I hope we see a team prepared for the specific challenges that Everett provides and that the Everett Sports Arena provides.”
Oly Town for the first time all year went into 3rd place with a final regular season loss to the Tacoma Stars 5-3 at the Tacoma Soccer Center. Oly Town looks for redemption as their first loss of the year was at Everett in a 6-8 match back in December. Oly Town ended the year with the best Arena Record in club history 8-2-2 helmed by Nick Boatright and veterans Josh Dube, Nate Boatright and Matt Stalnik (All Oly Legends). For more information on the roster and this year stats visit the Arena Soccer Page here.
USL W Signs String of D-1 Athletes
Artesian Head Coach Chris Wells and Coach Rachel Ross have been busy building the first ever USL Women’s Soccer team in Washington State History. Most recently Oly Town signed a local from Allyn, WA Sophia Green who played youth soccer at Crossfire Premier and ended up playing at Division One University of Nebraska-Omaha where she’s seen the field in 50 matches and scored 14 goals.
Other 2023 signings: Neeku Purcell (GK, UCLA), Hayden Crowley (Fwd, Univ of WA), Kelsey Kwon (Mid, Northwestern), Katie O’Kane (Fwd, U of Utah) and Alex Schoenstadt (Midfield, U of Utah). Make sure and follow @olytownfc on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for live player signings.
Women interested in trying out are encouraged to register for the March 19th W League Trial held in Olympia, WA. Click here for registration information.
The Artesians Host Spring Kid’s Camp
Youth Camp Director Jason Smith and Artesian players are excited to announce their final indoor soccer camp of the year. March 11, 18 and 25 for ages 5-14 are available for local families to experience drills, fun soccer activities and most of all playing! The Artesians host this camp at the Evergreen State College Pavilion where they will experience an Oly Town Arena Soccer setting and get to mingle with select players and staff.
Registration is $100 meanwhile financial aid is available through the Oly Soccer Foundation for families experiencing financial hardship.
Click here to register and get ready for another OLY OLY OLY Kid’s Camp!
Oly Town Looking for new Sponsorships
2023 has brought unique challenges to the club including sponsors who can no longer support the club but opens the door to new organizations. Oly Town’s leadership has been looking for ways to provide travel vans for road trips to Eugene, Bellingham, Everett, Salem and Portland for both their USL squads and Arena teams.
The club is currently offering multiple sponsor packages including:
Title Field/Stadium Sponsor (Have your business be on all game day programming, field signage, schedules and broadcast)
Warmup Jackets/Pants (Have your business on all the athletes jackets, pants and travel gear)
Travel Van (Have your business be on the magnets that will surround the van for all away games and social media posts for away games)
Awards & Events (Have your business be the title sponsor for Awards dinners, Auction Fundraisers and promo release parties)
Game Day Banners (Oly’s least expensive sponsorship is game day banners, be a part of the match and not break the bank!)
Donations (Our non-profit, Oly Soccer Foundation provides scholarships for camps, tryouts and free ticketing for youth into all games!)
Visit our partners page and our social media to see how we incorporate businesses in our sports marketing department to provide ROI to local organizations. Oly Town does not exist without generous regional businesses. Bringing USL soccer to Thurston County would not exist without title partners such as Dancing Goats Coffee, Well 80 Brewhouse, FORMA Construction, Olympia Jeep, Olympia Hotel and Van Dorm Realty.
Oly Town Asks for Host Families
The USL Soccer franchise opportunity is nationwide and League Two and the W League provide the community the chance to see top college players, transitioning pros and elite academy players before they go pro. Most that compete are college level athletes that are looking for a path to professional soccer as they do not break their amateur status in USL2 or W League to stay at the college level and get their degrees while playing collegiate soccer
That means many athletes need rooms! May-July 2023 and Oly Town needs your help! If you have an extra room, or extra dwelling our top athletes would like the chance to stay there temporarily. Each family or home owner is assigned an Oly Town manager and background checks can be provided. Season Tickets, Local Restaurant Gift Cards and discounts on apparel can be benefits to those hosting. Click here for becoming a Host Family!
For more information on anything Oly Town or the Oly Soccer Foundation contact playnow@olytownfc.com
*Cover Photo by Austin DeWees at RAPT Visuals