NATCHEZ — Millions of America’s youths play soccer every year. But with the sport relatively new on the national stage, many people don’t understand its nuances and rules.

However, one Natchez man is doing what he can in order to help locals understand the game.

Kenneth Stubbs, a member of the advisory board for the Natchez Youth Soccer Organization, has scheduled a tutorial session for any interested people who may have children playing youth soccer or teens playing high school soccer.

The meeting will take place next Thursday at 7 p.m. in the second floor classroom in the Natchez Regional Medical Center. There is no cost and it is very informal.

“The sport of soccer is exploding in America, especially on the youth level,” Stubbs said. “While lots of youths play the sport, there is a general lack of knowledge among adults who didn’t grow up with soccer. I hope this class will give parents a better understanding and appreciation of the game and will make it a more interesting game to watch.”

Stubbs, who has also served as a soccer referee, will teach the rules and concepts of what is generally known as ‘the beautiful game.’

He says his time as a referee inspired the idea to teach a class about the sport.

“When I refereed, people would always have questions about why I made a call or what some of the rules were,” Stubbs said. “So I thought it would be a good idea to just let people come in and have me explain the sport in a way they can understand.”

Another goal of Stubbs’ is to try and recruit some referees. The Natchez Youth Soccer Organization season is ongoing now and Stubbs said there is always a need for referees for the games.

“We are always in need of referees,” Stubbs said. “Anyone who thinks they might be interested in refereeing is welcome to attend so we can go over the rules with them and get them signed up.”

But other than recruiting referees for youth soccer games, Stubbs’ overall goal is to try and grow the sport in the area by teaching people about the game and showing them his love for it.

“It really is a great game that has grown in popularity recently,” Stubbs said. “I would like to build the game locally and show everybody just what a great sport it really is.”