Troy welcomes new semi-pro women’s team

TROY — Some of the area’s best and brightest soccer players will be hitting the field in Troy with the start of a new semi-professional soccer team, the Troy City Women’s Football Club.

The team was begun by coach and trainer John Arndt. The team will play games at Troy High School or the Evolution Sportsplex in Auburn Hills.

“It’s a semi-professional team,” explained Arndt. “We’re playing in two leagues: the United Women’s Soccer League and the Michigan Premier Soccer League. We’ll play about 20 games this summer. … We got sponsorships. The girls put in a certain percentage of money, but sponsorships and fundraising brought in most of the money. We had about 10 sponsors from in and around Troy.”

Arndt wanted to begin the team because he saw a lack of opportunities for young women to play in the area.

“I’m a soccer trainer, and I train out of Five Star Sports in Troy, and John R Training is the name of my business,” said Arndt. “I train a lot of high school and college girls, and there was always a call for a soccer team in the city. It’s very popular with people here. There wasn’t one before, and I think it’s a great time for women’s soccer right now. I sent out a form, and about 120 people responded. This is a soccer-rich community.”

Among the players on the team and those who Arndt has trained is Keira Boskovich, a sophomore at Lourdes University.

“I’m one of the team captains. … I’ve actually been training with John for about five years,” she said. “He’s helped me through a lot of injuries. I had a horrible experience playing on a summer team last year, so when we brought it up that he might coach a team, it was something that a lot of young women in the community jumped on.”

Updates on the team are available on Facebook by searching “Troy Women’s Football Club.” Ticket prices at games are estimated at $5.

“I’m looking forward to the first year and I hope we can support our players. I want to get the word out that this is something new that they should support,” said Arndt. “It’s a semi-pro team. They don’t get paid. It is college girls that are coming back from their college teams so they can get games in during the summertime. It helps them prep for their college teams in the fall. There are a few high school girls on the team as well.”

Each league’s standing is based on statistics, particularly the number of wins from each team.

“You play a specific amount of games. Depending on the stats, you can play for a first-place position,” said Boskovich. “The MPSL, you win a trophy based on those stats earned throughout the season. Your win-loss ratio is, obviously, the most important stat. For the other league, it’s a similar system.”

Boskovich hopes the team will keep her skills on point during the offseason but also hopes to build something special with the Troy City Women’s Football Club.

“Personally, I kind of hope to stay up on fitness and build the team into something. As a captain, it’s important to encourage the younger girls. I want to learn a lot that I can apply to my college team as well,” she said. “I hope we achieve the best we can. It’s a long summer, but we’ve all put in the work. I want to create a bond and keep playing together and maybe open some doors. I hope we win. I hope we succeed, but I hope we can achieve more together as well.”

She added that, so far, community response to the team has been incredibly positive.

“Just from the sponsors we’ve spoken to and the community who have responded, people are excited to have a women’s team here. The established teams are either far away or not accessible,” said Boskovich. “I think John wanted to have this opportunity here for people who weren’t getting what they needed from what was currently established. I’m from Clinton Township, but this allows me to play in a way I wasn’t able to before.”

Boskovich credited Arndt with being a strong leader for a team and praised his skills as a trainer.

“I think the level of closeness sets this apart. He opens up his training to everyone. He takes the time to come to our games before we were on his team. He is very encouraging and posts about our achievements. A lot of players have gotten close to each other through him,” she said. “John is one of a kind when it comes to coaching. He has built this all by himself. We help him, of course, but he took this on and made it into something incredible. The time and energy he puts in is amazing. I cannot wait to get to a coaching session with him. I don’t think he’s coached college or club, but he is a great coach. Other coaches are just on their phones or don’t care about their players’ personal lives or their mental health. John does.”

Arndt believes there’s a definite need for a women’s team like this in the community and says he knows just the squad to meet that need.

“I want the public to come out and support and empower these women,” Arndt said. “As athletes, we have combined our efforts. There is a men’s club as well, Troy United Football Club. It’s been around at least five years. We are brother-sister clubs, so we will be coordinating together and giving back in the community together. We want the city to support us. Nowadays, with Title IX being around for 50 years or so, supporting women is a huge deal. They deserve the same recognition as the men.”