A record-breaking number of 600 kids have enrolled in the youth soccer league this fall.

The Lower Columbia Youth Soccer Association has returned for all ages after a disruption in last season’s scheduling due to the coronavirus.

“Last year we canceled kindergarten through 4th grade to reduce numbers and ease the burden on everyone,” said O’Brien Starr-Hallow, the association’s president.

The fall season is back to normal, and all games are played locally at the Warrenton Soccer Complex on Ridge Road.

The league has grown to a record-breaking 600 players in 2021. Registration for the fall league is closed. Games are typically held Saturdays and Sundays and continue until the fourth weekend of October.

“I think as our population grows, we will grow with it and so will the passion for the beautiful game of soccer,” Starr-Hallow said.

According to the association’s website, recreational soccer offers the youth of Clatsop County “a fun learning environment to experience the game of soccer.”

“We play in the fall to support other sports in the community,” Starr-Hallow said. “Most of our athletes also run cross-country, track, basketball, softball, baseball or volleyball. We want our kids to play whatever inspires them.”

Recreational players can start in kindergarten and play through eighth grade.

The association is run by volunteers, and they’re always looking for volunteer coaches and additional volunteers.

The association also has a “Classic” soccer league. In Oregon, Classic soccer is divided into several levels, including: Premier, the highest level of competitive soccer; Classic, the next level, usually divided into three divisions, with the association usually playing Classic I or II.

In addition to summer tournaments, Classic teams play 10 games starting the weekend after Labor Day until the fourth weekend in October.