TKO Premier joins Super Y-League
Youth academy serves as foundation to Kalamazoo Outrage Premier Development League side
 Monday, April 21
KALAMAZOO, MI – TKO Premier Soccer Club has been granted the right to field teams in the 2008 United Soccer Leagues Super Y-League season. TKO will be forming teams in U13, U14 and U17 boys divisions as well as a team in the men’s Super-20 League. The Super-20 League team can serve as a training ground for the Kalamazoo Outrage, TKO’s entry in the Premier Development League. On the girls side TKO will field teams in the U14, U16 and U17 divisions.
“The Midwest division is very talented with many good teams from great clubs,” said Rich Labadie, Technical Director for TKO Premier Soccer Club. “We just hope to be competitive and put TKO on the Super Y-League radar.”
Although this is the first season for TKO sponsored teams, the club has many players and coaches with Super Y-League experience. The U16 girls’ team will be coached by Todd Wells, an assistant last year with the U15 West Michigan Fire Juniors team that went to the North American Finals in 2007. Veteran players like Anna Stinson of Portage Northern, Chelsea Peterson of E. Grand Rapids, Taylor Callan of Mattawan, Shelby Humphries of Portage Central, Katie Clarkin of E. Grand Rapids and Lauren Brown of Portage Central, all of which played for Wells on the 2007 team.
Wells returns many players who reached SYL ODP status last year as well. New comers to this team include Devin Bond of Gull Lake and Caroline Rice of Paw Paw.
“This team can do amazing things if they stay healthy,” said Labadie.
The U17 girls’ team will also return experienced players like Hannah Labadie of Kalamazoo Loy Norrix, Miranda Graham from Schoolcraft and Carley Riesing of Otsego. The team includes players from some of West Michigan’s best Premier clubs as well as players from Ann Arbor Arsenal, CA United and Michigan Hawks to the East. Many of these players are college bound and have committed to some of the top schools in the Midwest.
With the addition of the Super Y-League schedule, TKO now has a complete soccer development pyramid. In addition, the Kalamazoo Outrage will open their USL Premier Development League seasons on Friday, May 16 in downtown Kalamazoo’s Mayors Riverfront Park. The Outrage has formed a relationship with the English Professional club Sheffield Wednesday FC providing an international link for Outrage players as well foster a better opportunity for the youth players in TKO to develop via player and coach exchanges. TKO Premier Soccer Club provides opportunities at the Academy level for 8-11 year olds, the Premier and Super Y-League level for the 12-17 year olds and the senior amateur level for the post high school ages.
“This gives the kids in our club a chance to start their soccer development at a very young age and possibly grow into the professional ranks,” said Labadie of the new structure.
For information on TKO go to www.tkosoccer.org for the Kalamazoo Outrage go to www.kalamazoooutrage.com
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