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“Would you like some waffle fries with that?” or “come get your hot dogs!” are two things one normally doesn’t hear a PDL soccer player say, but Friday, May 17th was different. The King’s Warriors painted the town in orange and black on Friday night with simultaneous events at Wal-mart and Chick-fil-a in Beckley, West Virginia. Asher Quave-Robinson could be heard over the traffic and city ambiance encouraging folks to support their local team at their local Wal-mart. While behind him, Jonathan Arango in a fun loving fashion spun, twirled, and waved a King’s Warriors sign at passer-byers seeking for a beep of support. “It was good to see how when we reached out to the community that they reached back out to us. The events created a connection between the team and the community, Quave-Robinson said, it was good to see the support that we received. It felt like we were doing some good.” Players were able to grill hot dogs and meet the fans to encourage them to come out to the games this summer.

At the bottom of the hill, at Chick-fil-a, many kids were having a great time meeting their favorite King’s Warriors players. The team set up goals and played small-sided games with all the wonderful young fans who came. Local children were allowed to take a shot on goal to win an awesome prize! Watching the kids really had an effect on the players. “One of my favorite moments was watching a little girl who was having trouble shooting the ball. Our guys worked with her and taught her how to shoot and just seeing her face light up when she scored that goal made my night,” Bill Forbes shared. “I’ve played for other teams in the PDL and this is the first time I’ve ever done anything like this.” Just watching the kids interact with the players one would be hard pressed to tell who was having a better time, the kids, or the players. The King’s Warriors also encouraged fans to gear up for the coming season by giving them a chance to get gear before the season even kicked off.The King’s Warriors take to the pitch on Saturday, but young soccer fans may very well remember scoring a goal outside of Chick-fil-a on Friday more than anything else that will happen this summer. “It’s just really about trying to connect with the community because some people don’t know who we are yet. Chick-fil-a is an amazing place so we thought we’d start there, “Ricky Angelicola, chaplain of the King’s Warriors said. So whether you like chicken, hot dogs, or another entrée, everyone can be a King’s Warriors fan.

Come on out and watch your King’s Warriors open up against the West Virginia Chaos on May 18th at 7:00pm! Gates open at 6:00pm at the Paul Cline Memorial Youth Sports Complex in Beckley.