GOAL! New Soccer Club Comes to B/CS

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By Danielle Anthony

The newest soccer team in the Brazos Valley, the Brazos Valley Cavalry FC, will kick off its inaugural season on Monday, June 5, against Texas United at Nutrabolt Stadium. The Brazos Valley Cavalry is an affiliate of the Houston Dynamo and is the first affiliate team in the area in more than 60 years.

The creation of the team has been a year in the making, although talks of a soccer team in the Brazos Valley have been happening for years, according to Uri Geva, co-owner of the Brazos Valley Cavalry. A sort of trifecta occurred in the summer of 2016 that allowed the team to become a reality. Because of the size of the area, any soccer team brought to the Brazos Valley had to be an affiliate team. After creating a relationship with the Houston dynamo, obtaining the rights to buy an expansion from the league, and finally having a reason to turn Nutrabolt Stadium — the home of the Brazos Valley Bombers — into a multi-purpose facility, a new soccer team was born.

Naming the team was a community effort. After asking for submissions from the Brazos Valley, the list was narrowed down to eight names, with the final name left to a community vote. According to their website, more 2,600 votes were cast and Brazos Valley Cavalry won with 63 percent of the votes. “‘Cavalry’ is such a great tie-in to the rich military history of the Brazos Valley,” Geva says.

The renovations to Nutrabolt Stadium will make going to a game comfortable for everyone and allow it to become home to sports other than baseball. By replacing all the grass with turf, sports such as soccer, football, and lacrosse can also be played on the field.

New lighting and a new fence will also be part of the renovations. New scoreboards for both baseball and soccer will be added, along with a new sound system. A party deck will be added to the stadium to complement the new bleachers as well.

Community involvement is extremely important for the team. “We want to provide affordable family fun; we want to provide something exciting that everyone enjoys, and that people can take true pride in when they talk about Bryan College Station,” Geva explains. “Our focus is on the community and those who live here. We want to make sure they have an outlet for fun and a way to create memories that will last a lifetime. What is a better way to do that than going out to a ball game?”

Tickets can be purchased on the Brazos Valley Cavalry website at www.bvcavalryfc.com. Individual tickets start at $5 and season tickets range from $40 to $395.