SALISBURY — Before they settled down in Rowan County, Daniel Matangira and Mohamed Eliwa both had professional soccer careers overseas. Now, the two are working to start up a local club in Rowan County in the hopes of keeping local talent from bleeding to Lake Norman or Charlotte.

Matangira, a former Zimbabwe national team player, and Eliwa, a former professional player in Alexandria, Egypt, have founded the Piedmont Soccer Club and are holding tryouts on Saturday and Sunday at the North Rowan High School football stadium and on Saturday, May 10, and Sunday, May 11, at the East Rowan High School practice field. There will be a $25 tryout fee.

Eliwa said that the idea for the club came partly out of his experience coaching soccer at Salisbury Academy and then as an assistant coach at North Rowan High School.

“I’ve coached here at Salisbury Academy for seven or eight years. I feel the pain of the parents who cannot travel with their kids. I also coached at North Rowan High School and I see so many talents just walking out the door because they didn’t have a club, they didn’t have a way to practice or they cannot afford to travel,” said Eliwa.

Eliwa added that having a local soccer club would potentially help the local high schools that continue to run into schools in state tournaments such as Lake Norman High School or Charlotte Catholic High School, where the area has a strong soccer club.

The idea for a local youth soccer club truly began when Matangira and Eliwa met at the insistence of mutual friend Rocky Cabagnot. Matangira was having lunch with Cabagnot one day and talking about wanting to start a social soccer league.

“And (Cabagnot) said to me, ‘I’ve heard you played international soccer. Well somebody (else) played professional soccer, my neighbor.’ He connected us, and prior to that we had no idea. Our love for the game is what united us eventually, our love for the community, and we shared the experience of international exposure to the game. We thought the kids would benefit from our expertise in the game,” said Matangira, who also has experience coaching with North Hills Christian School.

Matangira said that the two are having discussions with a multitude of organizations throughout the county about supporting or partnering with the club, pointing in particular to the Rowan-Cabarrus YMCA’s youth soccer leagues and the Rowan-Salisbury School System letting them use high school fields as areas where partnerships could greatly grow the local scene.

Outside of filling a need and boosting soccer throughout the area, Matangira and Eliwa said that they view the founding of a new soccer club as an economic benefit to the area, noting that the programs and tournaments were pulling families away from the area, as well as a scholastic benefit, as larger college programs typically scout club soccer more than high school.

“The whole city is very soccer-clubbish, it’s just that there is no outlet. So, by default, at least 150 kids in our community are exporting their talents outside city limits to Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, High Point and Mooresville. We want to keep all that talent here, because when colleges come to (scout) for talent, they go to clubs, they don’t go to high schools. There’s a huge deficiency of club selection for kids,” said Matangira.

Eliwa added to the college issue by saying that some local families may be unable to afford participation in club soccer as it stands currently, with larger clubs having increased fees and travel costs being much higher. While the two are waiting to see what tryout turnout looks like before deciding on the club fees, they have said that they hope to be able to offer scholarships in the future to local children. The club has received its 501(c)(3) status, said Matangira.

Tryouts are being held during the two upcoming weekends, with girls soccer tryouts being held on Saturday, May 3, and May 10. The U10-U12 tryouts will be 10 to 11 a.m. on both days while the U13-U17 tryouts will be held from noon to 2 p.m.

Boys soccer tryouts will be held on Sunday, May 4, and May 11. The U10-U12 tryouts will be 10 to 11 a.m. on both days while the U13-U17 tryouts will be held from noon to 2 p.m.

The club is asking prospective players to sign up for tryouts by Thursday so the two can have an idea of the amount of coaches they need. However, walk-ins will also be accepted, said Matangira.

More information can be found at https://piedmontsoccerclub.com/.