Indoor Soccer Team Seeks Players, Dancers

Story Provided by Bill Norris/Ontario Pro Soccer
Ontario Pro Indoor Soccer, the Inland Empire’s newest professional sports franchise, has scheduled two events to fill out its roster for the team’s inaugural season.

The team will hold open tryouts for soccer players Saturday, July 27, with auditions for the squad’s dance team have been set for Sunday, Aug. 11.

After attracting about 50 players to the team’s first stage of player tryouts, owner/coach Bernie Lilavois received an outpouring of interest from more players wanting the chance to play professional indoor soccer.

"I was pleased with some of the talent we saw at our first tryout last month and many of them have a great shot at a roster spot on either our reserve or development squad,” Lilavois said. ”But with so many more people just finding out that there's now professional soccer in the Inland Empire and asking to be seen at another tryout, we put this July 27th one together to give those players another opportunity."

The tryouts will be from noon to 2:30 p.m. July 27 at the Upland Sports Arena, 1721 W. 11th Street, Upland. Registration for the tryouts is now open. Cost is $25 for those who pre-register online and $40 for those who register on the day of the tryouts. Registrations paid the day of the event must be paid in cash.

Selected players will have the opportunity to join the Ontario squad for a tournament to be played Aug. 3-4 in Oakland. Players will also be considered for the professional or developmental squads.

Players must be age 18 or older to tryout. Those younger than age 18 must have permission from a parent or guardian and sign an extra waiver.

The Ontario Pro Soccer dance team auditions will begin at 9 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 11 at the Holiday Inn Express and Suites Ontario Airport, 2280 S. Haven Ave., Ontario. Registration is now open, and is $20 in advance, and $25 the day of the auditions.

 “We are looking for the complete package to represent Ontario’s newest professional team,” said Lynae de Leon, the team’s dance team director. “We want dancers who are talented and professional, but have a passion to be involved in the community.”

Prospective dancers should come prepared, wearing two-piece attire with flesh colored hosiery, and hair and makeup game-day ready. Shoes with non-marking soles are also mandatory for all dancers.

Dance team members need to be age 18 or older as of Oct. 31, 2013. Those dancers younger than age 18 at the time of tryouts will need to have a guardian sign a waiver.

Finalists will be selected based on their dance ability, showmanship, physical fitness and crowd appeal. Those selected must be available Aug. 24 for a contract signing, as well as having a flexible schedule for rehearsals, games and public appearances.

The dance team auditions will be closed to the public, but media interested in covering all or part of the event should contact the team’s Media Relations representative Bill Norris at bn@ontarioprosoccer.com.

To pre-register for the soccer tryouts or dance auditions, interested participants can get information from the team’s website at www.ontarioprosoccer.com. The soccer tryout forms necessary are also available for download at the website. Dancers needing registration forms should email Lynae de Leon at ldl@ontarioprosoccer.com.

The team will also host an exhibition game against a team from Las Vegas at 4 p.m. Saturday, July 20 at Big League Dreams Sports Park, 10550 Cantu-Galleano Ranch Road in Jurupa Valley. Admission is $5, with spectators receiving a $1 token to spend at the snack bar.