Lakes Region United Soccer, now entering 9th year, has had major impact

GILFORD — Eight years ago, Gilford residents Christian Zimmermann and Scott Workman noticed what appeared to them to be a void in the local youth sports landscape. Both men were avid soccer players with 8-year-old sons who were interested in learning the game. They knew club soccer was catching fire in southern New Hampshire and realized that local athletes would fall behind if similar opportunities weren’t available to them. Local players might excel in middle school or even high school soccer, but it would be difficult to compete at the collegiate or professional level without stronger youth training opportunities.

As Zimmermann puts it, “We just wanted opportunities for the kids to play at a higher level. We wanted to see kids in the Lakes Region have the same opportunities as those from southern New Hampshire.”

They decided to take matters into their own hands, and the Lakes Region United (LRU) Soccer Club was born. In the beginning there was only one team, and there were only 10 to 12 players. They coached the team themselves, getting help from local parents such as Conrad Hanf. Not content with playing one or two seasons a year, the team joined indoor leagues at Fieldhouse Sports in Bow. That original LRU team stayed together for six years, playing in eight championship games.

Over time, LRU grew, additional teams were formed, and two years later LRU joined forces with a similar group of soccer-loving parents from Belmont, including Chris Gagnon, Brett Sottak, and Keith Duggan. Today, LRU is ready to embark on its ninth season with 10 teams and over 120 players from a variety of local towns, including Laconia, Gilford, Belmont, Gilmanton, Meredith, Alton, Moultonborough, Sanborton, Canterbury and New Hampton.

Last fall, members of those first few LRU teams played important roles on varsity teams at Belmont High School (JuJu Estremera, Chloe Sottak, Mackenzie Donovan, Lizzie Fleming, Elise Hall, Caleb Duggan, Nolan Gagnon, Caleb Burke, Logan Wilder, Jonny LeClair, and Zach Ennis), Gilford High School (Laurel Normandin, Tyler Hanf, Patrick O’Connor, Ethan Warren, Logan Essaff, Seth and Sander Valpey, and Connor Leggett), Laconia High School (Thomas Turpin and Cole Champoux), Inter-Lakes High School (Nathan Sleeper and Tommy DeTolla), Winnisquam Regional High School (Caiden Gamble), Tilton School (Trevor Fredrick), New Hampton School (Conor Conkling and Nate Lamprey), and Holderness School (Zane Zimmermann). Many new LRU players are just now entering high school, leading to an explosion of soccer talent at the high school level in the Lakes Region.

Gilford varsity boys coach David Pinkham remarked that “LRU has done an unbelievable job in developing soccer players in the Lakes Region. In the last three years, I have noticed a change in the quality of players that are coming up through the program. The LRU coaches understand the game.” Belmont varsity boys coach Mike Foley echoed these sentiments, indicating that “From a skill development perspective, LRU has dramatically impacted our program. I see it on the girls side too.” Foley identified another benefit, in that LRU players are often friends with players on opposing teams: “It’s broken down a lot of the rivalries between schools.”

An important ingredient in LRU’s success has been keeping costs reasonable, relying on parents who were former soccer players to coach the teams, and benefiting from the generosity of local towns, which provide field time for practices and games. Zimmerman says “We wanted to keep the club more of a parent-run organization than a business. We wanted everyone to be able to take advantage of local soccer, not just those who can afford professional coaches.”

Zimmermann, the current LRU president, is proud of the growth the club has seen, and says that “It’s now time to pass the club on to the next generation of parents.” Over the last few years, a variety of Lakes Region parents have taken on larger roles at the club as Zimmerman and Workman have begun to step down. Keith Duggan and his wife, Shayne, have recently shouldered much of the burden of running LRU’s operations and administration. Duggan has taken a particular interest in developing high-quality coaching, bringing experts from the New Hampshire Soccer Association to the Lakes Region for training sessions. He also designed LRU’s “Early Development Program,” which helps 6-9 year olds develop soccer skills in a fun, local environment. Jennifer Gagnon from Belmont has taken the lead on scheduling, and Chris McDonough from Gilford is the club’s treasurer.

Parents and athletes can learn more about LRU at http://www.lrusoccer.com/.

Coaches Keith Duggan and Shawn Jarvi stand with Lakes Region United’s U12 Girls team after winning the Capital Cup in 2014. (Photo courtesy of Joanna Michno)