Area soccer players may soon be able to enjoy their sport year-round, if former professional Mario Leurinda has anything to say about it. Leurinda is trying to organize a Natchez traveling team to allow the area’s elite soccer players to hone their skills all year while playing other top-notch programs around the South.

&uot;We know we have a lot of kids with talent in Natchez,&uot; Leurinda said. &uot;We just need someone to teach them.&uot;

Leurinda created a similar team in Destin, Fla., his former home. Three years into the program, more than 300 youths were participating, he said.

&uot;And now Natchez is my home,&uot; he said. &uot;We love this town. We want to do the same thing here.&uot;

While many of the participants will be the same from the city league which plays in the summer, the traveling team will hold try-outs – maybe as early as next week – and pick the best players for the teams, Leurinda said.

He would like to have under 10, under 12 and under 16 teams for boys and girls, he said.

&uot;I have talked to many people, and everyone thinks this is a good idea,&uot; he said. &uot;I’ve had a lot of support.&uot;

Some financial support will come from area businesses, he said, to offset the costs of uniforms, equipment and, he hopes, a full-time coach.

Leurinda also said he hopes enough financial aid will be available to offer scholarships to players who cannot afford the monthly fee to play on the team.

&uot;We will not turn away any player just because he or she does not have money,&uot; he said.

Leurinda has already arranged to play his former team in Destin this spring, he said. &uot;They will come here to play, and then we will go there.&uot;

But many Mississippi cities – notably Jackson, Brookhaven, Vicksburg and Tupelo – have competitive teams that will provide a local challenge for Natchez, Leurinda said. Specific times and dates for try-outs will be announced.