Soccer out of the rain at Salmon Creek Indoor Sports Arena

In 1993, Glen Cox and the U-12 soccer team he was coaching experienced AstroTurf for the first time during the Washington State semi-finals in Seattle. They lost, in part due to their lack of experience on the faster-paced surface.

To stay competitive, the team needed to practice on the new surface, but indoor soccer centers in Oregon and Washington were only free during the school day. So Cox and other community members decided to build their own.

Despite being part of Orchards Soccer Club, he had to contact indoor soccer centers in Oregon for a place to practice for future tournaments. They were packed and could only fit his team in at times they were already in school,

In 1995, Cox, his wife Jill and two other families opened Vancouver’s first indoor soccer arena, which stayed open until 2003. The Cox family now owns the Salmon Creek Indoor Sports Arena (110 Northwest 139th St.), a 40,000-square-foot facility sometimes hosting more than 250 soccer teams in peak season.

Although busy with soccer, it’s now looking to add La Crosse to the facility and create a league for futsal, a modified version of soccer where the ball isn’t allowed to touch the wall.

Soccer’s for All Ages

Between November and April, the peak season, teams can pack the arena for up to 70 games a week. When players switch back to the outdoors in the spring, the arena turns to the less conventional crowds.

“We run our summer camps and that helps a lot in the off time,” said Glen. “We’re trying to cater to the recreational leagues for children and adults.”

There are open play times for people not on established teams, a highly competitive Holiday Cup for people of all ages still around during Christmas break and a dodgeball tournament.

“The Holiday Cup starts at 7 in the morning and goes until 1 a.m., said Glen. “You’re ready for it to be over, because you’re dead.”

Vancouver Beginnings

It took the Coxes two years of searching, but they found the right warehouse in a business park on 117th Avenue – it was only 20,000 square feet, enough for one field.

It filled to a capacity of 170 indoor boys and girls teams within two years. In August 1998, Don Quilici and his wife Jeri opened the Clark County Indoor Sports Center less than three miles away. He said it was all about the right piece of real estate being available.

By 1999, the Coxes were sole owners of their Vancouver location. It continued offering roller hockey until 2003, when it closed.

“Our lease was up,” said co-owner Jill Cox. “We made the decision that there wasn’t enough interest in roller hockey.”

Moving Out

To steer clear of the Quilici’s competition, the Coxes opened their new multi-sport Salmon Creek facility on the other side of town in November 1999. The facility had one crumb rubber synthetic turf field for soccer and another area for basketball, volleyball and roller hockey. In 2002 it added the Lil’ Kickers, an indoor soccer development program.

On Cinco de Mayo in 2002, the arena debuted its second crumb rubber field, held its first tournament and officially converted to indoor soccer-only. Glen said the arena got a lot of support as players from all the local soccer clubs came in to play in the arena.

Putting Youth to Work

The arena employs three full-time employees and 17 part-timers, many of them Washington State University, Clark Community College and some local high schools.

“It’s a good way for us to provide role models for kids in the community,” said Kelsey Panara, a senior at WSU Vancouver and youth program manager at the arena. “A lot of our workers in the arena used to play there.”

The students work in the arena’s pro shop and help coach all the indoor teams. Panara previously worked with children at a similar facility – Kick City Sports Park – in Springfield, Ore. The Cox family said it focuses on getting students with good communication skills and experience working with children.