KALISPELL — Glacier Surf is the newest soccer club in the Flathead Valley and is planning to provide the best opportunity for growth to youth soccer in Montana for years to come.
“So just to have the opportunity here in Montana, we’re kind of on an island, we’re disconnected from a lot of the soccer world,” said Glacier Surf director of coaching and operations Nathan Evans. “So just to have that opportunity to be plugged in with them is pretty historic here and we’re just excited to be a part of it.”
While the partnership began Aug. 1, Evans and his coaching staff have been making their presence felt since 2019.
“It’s already changing youth soccer in the valley and in the state,” said Evans with a smile. “Everyone is kind of seeing all the opportunities that our kids have, and our whole goal as a club is to help the players and help them meet their goals.”
Opportunities that Evans hopes to provide for the foreseeable future.
“Really our goal as a soccer club is to offer the most programs and provide more opportunities for kids that have never been offered before,” stated Evans. “So if your kid loves soccer and wants to be great at soccer, our club is the perfect fit for your kid.”
While a soccer club, there is more than meets the eye.
“We are more than a club,” said Glacier Surf technical director Brandon Fern. “Which means it’s got to be more than just soccer, it’s got to be more than just the training, it’s got to be more than the games.”
And Fern says the 200 players he’s had the privilege of coaching have been able to fulfill that expectation.
“We have very hard working kids who wanted to learn and that has been the difference,” said Fern. “It’s been the kids and their mindset, we’ve had kids that wanted something that was more advanced. They’re very hungry to learn and then when you show them what they can do with the ball, they get excited, they’re like, ‘I wanna learn how to do that, what do I need to do?'”
Excitement that for the first time in the valley will be available all year.
“There’s never been year-round soccer before, that was kind of a new concept,” said Fern. “Here we train, or we have training programs year round so that way if kids really want to go far in this game there’s never a season that they don’t have an option to be playing or working on some aspect of their soccer game. “
.