Samaritan Fields

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

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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.

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UA Cossatot Athletics Department to add Soccer for Fall 2023

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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.

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Community Fundraiser Racks up Over $15,000 for Up-and-Coming Soccer Complex in De Queen

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NEWS RELEASE

Samaritan Fields             Contact: 870-584-9928

JuLY 5th, 2021                 SamaritanFields@gmail.com   

Community Fundraiser racks up over $15,000 for up-and-coming Soccer Complex in De Queen

DE QUEEN, AR— The first-ever “Field of Dreams” fundraiser netted more than $15,000 for the Samaritan Fields Soccer project on Collin Raye Drive in De Queen this 4th of July weekend.

A diverse group of Community members teamed up to collaborate resources for the July 3rd event and celebrated with festival-style vibes, flavorful food, FIFA, inflatables, and family-friendly fun Saturday night. Several efforts were made to raise the money, including food sales, auction items, and T-shirt sales, as well as donations collected from parking for the city Firework show.

Hundreds of area residents attended the event and contributed support for the developing facilities throughout the day, including representative Deann Vaught, along with several local business owners and community leaders. The event also provided a covid-19 shot booth and voter registration tent, adding nearly a dozen Arkansans to the state’s vaccinated list.

Project organizer Esteban Ochoa reported the total amount raised was $15,898.85, including additional dollars gathered from a “50/50 day” partnership with Simple Simon’s Pizza of De Queen Monday, July 5th. Pulled together with just 3 months of planning, the “Field of Dreams” fundraiser was designed to draw up support for the project and raise awareness about the community goal of bringing the High School state soccer championship to De Queen by 2026.

Event organizers would like to express appreciation to all who attended and say “thank you” to everyone who has supported the Samaritan Fields initiative in De Queen.

Plans for future fundraisers are already in discussion as the “Field of Dreams” night is set to become an annual event for the Sevier County community. Ongoing construction and maintenance are required for the project to become both sustainable and successful, and continual community support will be needed. Businesses or individuals interested in helping bring state-of-the-art community soccer fields to De Queen can call 870-584-9928 or email SamaritanFields@gmail.com.

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Field of Dreams Fundraiser Announced in De Queen

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NEWS RELEASE

Samaritan Fields             Contact: 870-584-9928

June 23rd, 2021                 SamaritanFields@gmail.com   

Community Soccer Field Organizers Announce Festive Fundraiser in De Queen

DE QUEEN, AR— Community residents are rallying support for an up-and-coming Sports facility in Sevier County this summer with the “Fields of Dreams” fundraiser set for Saturday, July 3rd at 5:00 pm.

Lead by local business owner Esteban Ochoa and De Queen High School Assistant soccer coach Franklin Bahena, Samaritan fields is a multi-feature athletic facility and community project in its early phases. Located on Collin Raye Drive in De Queen, the fields will host soccer games and plans to feature benches, stands for spectators, a walking trail, and concessions are in the works.

For the process to continue growing, community support is needed for this grassroots effort and the public is invited out to celebrate the Independence Day Holiday with a fundraiser at the fields.

 The Field of Dreams night will feature a live DJ, FIFA Tournament, obstacle course, voter registration booth, Iphone 12 Pro Max raffle, T-Shirts, Drinks, snacks and a free soccer ball giveaway for the 1st 100 cars to arrive. De Queen Health and Wellness will be on site providing COVID-19 Vaccinations and $5 will be donated to the fields for each shot administered. Folks interested in viewing the city’s fireworks show can park their vehicles for a donation and all proceeds will go towards construction and maintenance of the developing project. Local Hot Dog vendor “The Walking Dog” will be set up during the event and everyone is welcome.

A long-term goal for the project is to qualify as the host site for the 2026 Arkansas High school State Soccer tournament and pay homage to the 6-time state championship Leopard soccer team in their hometown. Organizers also believe the ability to host a state tournament will have a positive economic impact on the community as travelers will dine at local restaurants and buy from area convenience stores while visiting for the event. 

Ochoa says the overall goal for Samaritan fields and the soccer community of De Queen “is to not have great soccer players, but to have great kids who happen to play soccer.”

Sponsors and Community Partners of Samaritan Fields include Tony Soto and The National Guard, Dr. Randy Walker and Angie Walker, James and Suzanne Babb, Leopard Nutrition, Franklin Bahena, Kelly Goins Smart Phone EMT, Jennifer Collier, Meraki Hair Studio, Top Line Custom Logos, Johnny Buenrrostro, Revels and Company CPA’s, De Queen Medical Equipment, Arlene Rivas, Cricket Wireless, Rex Herring and Daryl Wayne Herring, Rolling B Ranch, Rock Hauling Land Clearing and Excavation, R and J Sports, Lorena Branson, Mitchell Medical, Simple Simon’s Pizza, Selena’s Dish Network , Peak Therapy,  Extreme Game Truck (Gabriel A Green), Health Care Express - De Queen, John and Representative DeAnn Vaught and De Queen Health and Wellness.

A Non-Profit group has been launched for the Samaritan Fields project and all interested supporters are welcome to attend the first Board meeting at 7:00 pm Monday, June 28th at Samaritan Fields (1358 W Collin Raye) For questions contact Samaritanfields@gmail.com .