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Seth Brown’s motives were simple. Raised in Bangor and Searsport, he wanted to return to Maine with his family and supply the area with a high level of summer soccer entertainment.
And he wanted to embrace the Bangor area and immerse the community in his teams.
That will officially become a reality on Saturday at 4 p.m. when the Maine Tide women’s Premier League team entertains Soccer Plus (Conn.) in their opener at Boucher Field on the Husson College campus.
Their men’s counterpart, the Maine Sting, will make their debut the following Saturday as part of a home doubleheader with the Tide against AC Diablos from Atlantic City, N.J.
Cheryl Stokes, president of the Atlantic Sports Group that owns the teams, and Brown, the vice president in charge of soccer operations for both and an assistant for the women’s team, had worked together for a similar soccer program in Atlanta and decided to come to Maine.
Brown was named the men’s soccer coach at Husson College two years ago and that paved the way for the Tide and Sting.
“I wanted to raise my family here and, from a selfish perspective, I wanted a high level of soccer for me and my family to enjoy during the summer,” said Brown. “I’m like a kid in the candy store.”
The Atlantic Sports Group’s philosophy is intriguing.
With the exception of Stokes, Brown and coaches Graham Chandler (Tide) and Bill Ashby (Sting), interns will be in charge of the day-to-day activities. It is a partnership with Husson’s sports management program.
That includes former Husson College football standout Ross Salovitch, who is the general manager for the Sting, and Husson baseball-soccer player Billy Shannon of Newburgh, who is the Tide’s GM.
The interns will learn the ins-and-outs of running a team (marketing, promotions, game management, taking care of the players’ needs, etc.) and there is nothing better than on-the-job training.
The players won’t be paid but most will take jobs in the area.
There will be 18 international players on the two rosters, according to Brown, as well as a lot of well-known in-state players like former Hampden Academy star Kim Stephenson, who plays for the University of Maine; former Lee Academy great and current Husson two-sport standout Shelby Bradford and former UM All-America East player Cooper Friend of Ellsworth.
“We have 55 young people in the community here for the summer to work and play and they’ll immerse themselves in the community,” said Brown.
This should be a win-win situation as the community will benefit from the teams and the players will have the opportunity to meet new people and develop their skills against quality competition.
What is important is it will provide low-cost family entertainment ($5 for adults; free for seniors and children under 4 and lower prices for season- ticket deals) involving the world’s most popular sport.
That’s great in these economic times.
In addition to games, the players will hold clinics for local youth which is yet another positive for the area.
Professional baseball teams (Lumberjacks, Blue Ox) didn’t make it here because they had much higher financial requirements and responsibilities.
This is different although it is important to note that it is a business and will require community support and sponsorships.
“We’re in this for long haul,” said Brown.
Hopefully, it will be a very long haul.
lmahoney@bangordailynews.net
990-8231
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