EPHRATA — Registration for fall youth sports like soccer and flag football in Ephrata is open. Though it’s still somewhat early in the process, turnout has been strong so far, Recreation Supervisor for Ephrata Parks and Recreation Gunner Blankenship said.  

“In the spring we had about 250 kids for soccer, and we're projecting about the same amount for fall this year,” Blankenship said. “Last year we had a total of 71 kids turn out (for flag football) between first grade and sixth grade, and there's differentleagues for each of those age groups.” 

Soccer offers six levels based on age ranging from 4 to 12 years old and the season runs from Sept. 15 through Oct 15, Blankenship said. Ages 4-7 are co-ed and will play in a four versus four format, while 8-12 are split into boys' and girls' teams and will compete in seven versus seven games. The $40 cost to sign a child up for a team also covers their jersey, while parents will need to provide the cleats and shin guards needed to participate.  

Depending on which league a child may be in, practices and games on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays between 4:30-6:30 p.m. Each team will meet twice a week for either a practice or game, according to Ephrata Parks and Recreation.  

Flag football has four leagues organized based on grade levels first through sixth and will run from Sept 14 through Oct 15. Just like soccer, flag football offers local youth athletes an opportunity to learn the foundations of the sport, build valuable skills like teamwork and sportsmanship in a fun and supportive environment.  

Week one is strictly practices, while the season picks up from weeks two through five with practice and a game for each team. The $50 fee covers each player's jersey and flag belt, according to Ephrata Parks and Recreation. 

Both leagues are also in need of volunteers to help the games operate whether it’s coaching, officiating or supporting the league in some way.  

“We do offer to anyone that coaches any of our programs; their kids get to play for free too,” Blankenship said. “We always seem to find enough volunteers to make the leagues run, but it’s always a need, and it gets to the point sometimes for some leagues where I kind of have to end up pulling teeth and calling parents and friends of parents as much as I can so we can try and make sure we have enough coaches and referees and whatnot.” 

Much thought was also put into the cost for families when organizing these leagues, Blankenship said.  

“A lot of kids here we're playing club soccer, and the expense of that adds up quite a bit,” he said. “We want to provide a space where kids can come try it, but families don't feel like they're going to be locked into a ton of different fees, so that's kind of our goal. Our goal is not necessarily to make money off this. It's just kind of more to cover the cost of the jerseys and referees if we need them. That's kind of our main goal when we're creating the prices.” 

Registration for both sports closes on Aug 23. Both sports will be played at the Ephrata Sports Complex. For anyone interested in signing their child up for soccer or flag football can find registration at this link: https://bit.ly/YouthSports26