Lowcountry United FC finds new home at Woodland High School
Photo credit: Lowcountry United
Despite achieving significant success on the pitch by winning the Mid-Atlantic North Division in the UPSL spring season, Lowcountry United FC was thrown a bit of an unexpected curveball in mid-2018. The club suddenly found itself out in the cold on a venue to call home and also without a youth academy.
Lowcountry United’s previous partners, St. Andrews Parks & Playgrounds and Charleston United, decided to pull the plug on their affiliation with the team, per a June statement from the club. Thus began the team’s extensive search for a new venue and youth partnership.
On Wednesday, the quest for both ended. Lowcountry United announced Woodland High School as their new home pitch. Located in nearby Dorchester, S.C., the artificial-turf stadium seats up to 10,000 and represents a huge upgrade from the club’s previous digs.
“Woodland is a wonderful facility that will allow us to provide an elite level soccer experience in the lowcountry and have a stable place to call home,” Lowcountry United executive director Alan Bahadori said in a release. “This venue will allow our players the best venue possible to compete during the season along with the capacity to build a club fan base that will grow and continue to be a valuable investment back into the community and the school. We look forward to helping the school with events, fundraisers, sponsorship, player development resources and most of all a competitive passionate semi pro soccer experience. I want to thank athletic director (Tydles) Sibert for his instrumental help and support of our clubs vision and to all the school board for allowing us the chance to create a true foundation with the school and community.”
As part of the arrangement, the club will provide opportunities for Woodland soccer players and part of Lowcountry United’s ticket sales will go to the school’s athletic department, per the release.
The club also revealed an official partnership with Ladson Youth Organization (LYO), which focuses on getting kids involved in sports. Lowcountry United will provide youth soccer development to the organization.
“Ladson Youth Organization is very excited to be partnering with Lowcountry United and bringing soccer to our area,” said LYO commissioner Cheri Greene in a release. “LYO has been built on a foundation of providing the community with safe, fun and family-oriented athletic programs for decades. With the partnership with Lowcountry United we can continue to keep that commitment to our community with the exciting (and) growing game of soccer. This will be a new experience for LYO and a wonderful new local opportunity for the Ladson/Summerville community which we’re very excited to get started on.”
With most of Lowcountry United’s logistical issues now squelched, the team can finally turn its focus toward next year. It’s a welcome refresh for the team after experiencing so much tumult in 2018.
“This is a huge step forward for the club,” Bahadori added. “We took the fall season off from competing in the United Premier Soccer League in order to focus directly on operation needs which was headlined by securing a venue partner.”
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