The Namekagon River runs into Trego Lake in Northwest Wisconsin; Highway 63, which connects Hayward and Spooner, passes over the south end of the body of water and is the home to the players of Namekagon Socer Club. We reached out to the new kids on the block in the WPASL to find out more about why they got started and what makes them tick, Tyler Turinske was generous with his time and filled us in!

Tell us the origin story of Namekagon SC - when was it founded? By whom and what was its mission?
Our team started by a group of players who played pickup soccer with the local youth club. A few of us were interested in joining an amateur team in the WPASL (Wisconsin Primary Amateur Soccer League) for a more competitive setting. This sparked the idea of forming our own team in the league. We were a little late in the process so felt we maybe would have to wait a year to get enough players, but found out there was a lot of interest so we pursued and formed a team combining players from Spooner, WI and Hayward, WI. We decided to name the team Namekagon SC based on a local river that flows between the two cities. This is our first year in existence and going forward we really want to focus on providing an opportunity for local athletes to compete in a competitive league.

Tell us about your badge and colors – how does it connect to the community?
Our design was actually done a little backwards where we had ideas for jerseys before our logo. We really wanted to incorporate the idea of sunset and northern lights on the river in our jerseys. This then helped us pick the orange and teal colors that we use in our logo. We used the heron as a representative of the wildlife around the Namekagon River. Custom Athletics USA was a huge part of helping us bring the jersey concept to reality! We are really excited to show off our one of a kind jerseys this season!

What league or leagues does your club participate in and why did you choose those to join?
We are playing in the WPASL - the league is based in Northwest Wisconsin and there are currently 10 teams in the league. We chose this league as a way to play competitive soccer in our area in an already well established league.

How does the club stay funded and how can our readers support you?
So far we primarily rely on having sponsors, merchandise, and player contributions. In our very short history we have been shown a lot of support from the area and hope to build on that in the future!

How did you finish last year? What are the goals for your next season?
This is our first season in existence, but our goal for this season is to be competitive and build a strong team culture.

How does Namekagon SC participate in or give back to their community?
As a very new club, that is something we will be planning to build on in the future. Right now our main way to contribute is with the local youth clubs. We have several players and coaches who coach and mentor the youth players and teams.

If there were one or two teams, within a 100 miles of you, to play a friendly against – who would you play and why?
Our primary interest for friendlies would probably be local teams from our league or teams in the Duluth Amateur Soccer League

Follow Namekagon SC and give them a follow on Instagram HERE