Penn-Trafford alum Johnny Johnston establishes soccer program to help youth players

Johnny Johnston grew up playing soccer in the Penn Township programs.

That’s where he was taught how to play the game and learned valuable lessons about growing up from the men who coached him.

Now the 2001 Penn-Trafford grad and Harrison City native is doing the same in Oxford, a town in Chester County, west of Philadelphia where he and his wife (Jenna) and two sons reside.

Johnston started the Oxford Soccer Club for players ages 5-8 in July and quickly filled out the program.

“We capped it at 80 and within 20 days we were at capacity,” Johnston said. “We have a wait list. We’re planning to expand next year.

“Oxford didn’t have a program, so we wanted to start one so it would be more accessible to the community. The response is overwhelming.”

Children in Oxford who wanted to play soccer had to have money and travel more than 30 minutes to play.

Johnston, whose sons Cohen (12) and Reeve (7) play, said the high school program wasn’t that strong so he decided to help.

He coaches the Penn’s Grove Middle School team in the Oxford School District. Johnston played goalie in high school and played his senior season in the field at Westminster.

He earned a degree in Christian education at Westminster College and then a master’s at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif.

Johnston, a pastor at Willowdale Chapel-Jennersville campus, patterns the program after Penn-Trafford.

“The response has been surprising,” Johnston said. “We have adults and high school players teaching the game.

“The cost is $50 per kid and we provide scholarships because of some generous donors. We also have different business donating money for equipment.”

Johnston added that the high school district’s program will thrive

“Our goal is to provide an environment where children in Oxford can be loved, cared for, encouraged and celebrated,” Johnston said. “We use the vehicle of soccer to accomplish that task. We are a non-profit organization that seeks to make registration and play affordable through low registration costs and donations.”

Johnston said the plan is to develop soccer skills, learn the rules of the game and grow in appreciation for the beauty of the game through fun.

“Character is important,” Johnston said. “Who you are becoming as a human is more important than any game. I learned that from the men who taught me at Penn-Trafford.”