Samaritan Fields Soccer Complex Holds First Board Meeting, Elects New Officers

Drone photo of Samaritan Fields taken in November 2022 by Jon Bunyard

June 19, 2023

Samaritan Fields, a 501c3 non-profit entity, held its first official organizational meeting last Tuesday on the DeQueen campus of UA Cossatot. Samaritan Fields is a culmination of several years of work to bring world-class soccer and wellness facilities to DeQueen and the surrounding area.

The meeting was held to put the official board and elected officers in place to launch the work that needs to be completed to start hosting competitive soccer events on all five fields. The inaugural board consists of Esteban Ochoa (Chair), Tony Soto (Vice Chair), Franklin Bahena (Secretary/Treasurer), Greg Revels, Angie Walker, Justin Hinman, and Steve Cole.

Esteban Ochoa, better known locally as “EO,” started to develop Samaritan Fields several years ago and says it is now time for DeQueen to take on a leadership role in soccer statewide, “We’ve been known as the epicenter of soccer for many years, but never had a soccer complex to showcase to the world what soccer looks like in DeQueen. These fields will provide opportunities for thousands of children and adults by offering camps, classes, and competitive leagues for all ages”.

The first official practices and games that will be played at Samaritan Fields will be for the UA Cossatot men’s and women’s soccer teams, which will begin competitive play this August, according to UA Cossatot Head Coach Justin Hinman, “Growing up in Little Rock, I always heard how DeQueen was a special place for soccer, and now that I live in DeQueen, I can see how true that is. Over the past several months, we have been recruiting college athletes worldwide to come and play their collegiate soccer in DeQueen. Now we will have facilities that will be the envy of every community.

The Samaritan Fields complex is currently under construction, but progress is expected to move quickly as the fields are prepared for soccer this fall. Samaritan Fields, when completed, will have five different fields, one main field for UA Cossatot Colts soccer and Championship-level tournaments, bleacher seating for fans, parking, an entire indoor workout facility, and spaces for food trucks.

To learn more about tax-deductible sponsorship opportunities at Samaritan Fields, contact EO at 870-584-9928. Employers interested in sponsoring additional students may contact Workforce Development at 870-584-1136 or Workforce@cccua.edu.

UA Cossatot Soccer Coach Justin Hinman was the guest speaker at De Queen Lions Club

UA Cossatot Chancellor Steve Cole shared information on the latest enrollment numbers, new educational programs, and collegiate sports added recently at UA Cossatot. Lion Cole introduced Justin Hinman, the new head soccer coach for the Colts and Lady Colts. The soccer program will begin this fall of 2023. Hinman discussed recruiting, scheduling, community involvement, and Samaritan Fields for the new season. The first match is scheduled for mid-August.

UA Cossatot Athletics Department to add Soccer for Fall 2023

UA Cossatot will be adding another team sport in fall 2023. The Colts will compete at the NJCAA Division II level in men’s and women’s soccer.

UA Cossatot’s Athletic Director Robert Byrd announced, “UA Cossatot Athletics is excited to continue to expand our sporting options with the addition of Men’s and Women’s soccer in the fall of 2023. The timing is perfect. We have so many high-quality soccer student-athletes in our area, and we knew it would be the perfect addition for the college. Our student-athletes will compete in Region 2 at the Division 2 level and have the opportunity to compete against programs across the state as well as in Oklahoma, Louisiana and Texas.”

UA Cossatot Chancellor Dr. Steve Cole added, "Soccer coming to UA Cossatot is the natural progression of our sports offerings. We wanted to make sure we would have world-class facilities before starting soccer and it looks like we will have that right here in De Queen. It is also natural to have soccer at UA Cossatot because our area has produced more class 4A and 5A high school state soccer championships than any other area. We are proud to build on that heritage. The area UA Cossatot serves also has the absolute greatest soccer fans on the planet, and to add collegiate soccer for these fans in 2023 is just another reason to add this program. We will begin recruiting student-athletes for soccer almost immediately, letting soccer players from the area and the world know the Colts will be playing for championships right away.”

For more information, contact Robert Byrd at 870-584-1105 or rbyrd@cccua.edu.