Zionsville Youth Soccer Association
June 2018
Writer // Janelle Morrison Photography // Courtesy of ZYSA
Zionsville Youth Soccer Association (ZYSA), founded in 1979 as Eagle-Union Youth Soccer Association, will celebrate its 40th anniversary as an organization next year. ZYSA’s mission is to provide programs for the youth of Boone County and the surrounding areas. The club serves over 1,700 youth living in central Indiana each year. As a member of the Zionsville Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber board is pleased to recognize ZYSA as a valuable member of the Chamber as well as the Zionsville community. Peter O’Scanaill, executive director at ZYSA, spoke about the purpose of ZYSA and its deep connection to the local Zionsville community.
“The ZYSA board realizes and is really proud of the fact that we are a big part of the community,” O’Scanaill humbly said. “As a sporting entity within this community, we are the largest. We know our value and what we bring, even the economic impact, to the community along with all of the other benefits. We would like for the community to know that the kids have a safe place where they can come together and play, and I truly mean ‘play.’ Whether it’s at a recreational or competitive level, it should be fun, and it should be an environment where the kids and parents can’t wait to get here. We want every player and every parent to know that that they matter to us.”
ZYSA owns the 52-acre venue and indoor facility, which makes their club unique in the greater metropolitan area. The club hosts several tournaments over the season, including its main event, Socctoberfest, that is held every October. This specific tournament will bring in as many as 255 teams, 10,000 players, plus parents, team staff, etc., and will generate approximately $600,000-$700,000 in revenue for the local areas over the course of that weekend.
While creating a positive economic impact on the local communities in Boone County, ZYSA’s primary focus continues to be on engaging local youth.
“Our focus has always been on our youth development, more so than just teaching the kids how to play soccer,” O’Scanaill emphasized. “It is important to ZYSA that the kids feel that they are part of something and learn the values of teamwork, work ethic and perseverance. At the same time, we want the kids to enjoy the benefits of physical activity and understand that it has to be part of their lifestyle.”
ZYSA offers a menu of diverse programs for recreational, travel and adult programs and summer camps. Tryouts and summer camp registration information is available on the ZYSA website at zysa.org.
ZYSA would like for the community to know that parking and viewing from the ZYSA parking lot and fields located on CR 700E will be open to the general public for the Whitestown Independence Day Celebration and Fireworks July 3.