Workers were finishing up the pad Tuesday for a new 75 x 125 foot soccer building at Dalton's Lakeshore Park. The building will hold a Dalton State soccer office, dressing rooms and an indoor building to practice kicking, etc.
Kerem Daser, Dalton State’s Director of Soccer, is enthusiastic about the chances that Roadrunner soccer will be more than a success.
Addressing Monday’s meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Dalton, the former head coach at Georgia Military and Georgia State, said “Dalton is a soccer city”. The many turfed fields around the area is said to be a sign of the area’s commitment to the sport.
Daser expressed his appreciation for support shown him as he prepares to start men’s soccer this fall and women’s soccer next fall. A new building is going up just behind the bleachers at Lakeshore Park, the home of the soccer Roadrunners. When completed, the structure will house a soccer office and dressing rooms. It will also provide for indoor practice facilities. Public restrooms, a concession stand and press box are also in the works.
“Coach K” told the Kiwanians that he has enjoyed working with youth groups around the area including several Monday’s at Dug Gap Elementary School and a series of camps and clinics at the Ronnie Nix soccer complex and James Brown Recreation Center on Civic Drive.
The first Roadrunner game will be a scrimmage, set for August 15th at 7:00 p.m. against the Concorde Fire. A second scrimmage will be held on August 19th at 4:00 p.m. against Berry College.
Following two games in Florida, Dalton State will come back home to host four games beginning with Milligan College of Tennessee at 6:00 p.m. on August 25th.
The complete schedule is on the Dalton State website. There is no charge for admission to Roadrunner soccer games, but you may want to bring folding chairs. The bleachers provide limited seating.
Although women’s soccer is a year away, the coach has signed a dozen mostly local players. The ladies will undergo “red shirt practices” this year in preparation for 2016. Daser said he hopes to hire a women’s soccer coach in the near future.
All Dalton State athletic teams compete in the Southern States Athletic Conference, part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The coach said he believes the SSAC’s Auburn Montgomery and the University of Mobile should be among the best teams in the NAIA this season.