PORT ORCHARD, WA—The Kitsap soccer community got its first look at the full Port Orchard FC kits on Saturday April 22 as Primary Sponsor El Sombrero Mexican Family Restaurant hosted a Meet and Greet event at their Port Orchard location.
LEVO Soccer had delivered the kits during the week and players Bryan Weathington, Nick Riders, Kolby Juarez and Sam Meade modeled them for an appreciative audience.
The event saw the debut of Ryan Deyoe as an announcer for the club. Ryan was Master of Ceremonies using a sound system donated for the event by Steven Stanton, aka Bremerton DJ “Steve the Bull.”
Port Orchard FC announced that the #23 jersey would be forever retired in honor of the year the club was founded and for the way the fans responded to the Founders Circle $23 season ticket promotion in February where sales topped 330.
POFC honored Supporter Liason Aaron Banks with a unique two-color logo flag in appreciation of his starting the Sydney City Supporters and helping get the club ticket sales rolling back in February.
El Sombrero owner Pablo de la Cruz was presented with his own jersey and scarf in thanks for being Primary Sponsor as well as hosting the event. Many El Sombrero servers were wearing POFC shirts as they delivered delicious Mexican food out to tables.
The moment arrived for the jersey reveal and even though several in the crowd had already gotten their own kits in the mail and were wearing them on the day, it was still a thrill to see live soccer players fully dressed to play in the new threads.
Head Coach Patrick Leonard introduced the players in attendance earlier, then took questions and talked more with fans. He made a stirring final moment for the event when he spoke about being a Kitsap Pumas supporter as a kid and now being in charge of building a roster of players for the next Kitsap team.
Club Coordinator David Falk had his hand and voice in many of the presentations. He also made the table display seen at the entry of the restaurant and managed to capture some video of the event.
General Manager Sam Ironside debuted use of an in-person sales system and sold a few more season passes on the spot. Assistant GM Tyler Brown was busy connecting fans with their season ticket lanyards. Brown’s connections also brought Stanton to the event.
The vibes were good, the food was great and everyone seemed to agree that it is awesome to have a men’s semi-pro soccer team coming to the City of Port Orchard.
Official Website of Port Orchard Football Club 