Eugene, OR – Many of us grew up playing soccer, even if we went on to play other sports – softball, basketball, football — we often started by playing soccer in grade school. We swarmed around the ball, kicking as hard as we could in an attempt to send the black and white ball toward our opponent’s goal. Our coaches, often parents of our teammates or our own parents, taught us to spread out and communicate. We learned to move the ball around the field and maintain possession. We all got our chance to play, boys and girls, the athletically gifted and the clumsy. Soccer was accessible to nearly all of us.
Craft Beer is often described as an affordable luxury. While there are top shelf beers with higher price points, the majority of craft beer is remarkably affordable. And this is the connection to soccer: access. Craft beer is accessible, just like soccer was for us as kids, and access is fundamental to a healthy community. Can you image a great community without youth soccer? Try imagining a really amazing city or town where you’d like to live that doesn’t have a truly local brewery?
Oakshire Brewing, of Eugene, OR recognizes the strong tie that its beer, and its newly formed local soccer team have to their community. Beer is the beverage of the people and soccer is, hands down, the sport of the people. Therefor, Oakshire Brewing has taken a strong position in supporting the Lane United Football Club, the area’s upstart semi-pro United Soccer League (USL) team.
“We are thrilled to support the Lane United Football Club because of the many ways this team will positively contribute to the health of our community” says Oakshire Founder Jeff Althouse. “I grew up playing soccer and so many of my early lessons in life were learned on the soccer field. Soccer is part of who I am and it will become a much larger part of the identity of the Eugene-Springfield area through the Lane United Football Club.”
About Oakshire: Named for the Oregon white oak and the idyllic way of life in the Northwestern United States, Oakshire is a small brewing company devoted to the pursuit of excellence in brewing, social responsibility and everyday life. Located in Eugene, Oregon, Oakshire Brewing was founded in October 2006 with a mission to brew the highest quality beer and deliver it to beer drinkers in the best possible condition. The brewery itself is located in Northwest Eugene and the Oakshire Public House, the company’s tap room, is located at 207 Madison Street, Eugene OR 97402 and is open daily from 11am to 10pm. Learn more about Oakshire Brewing, beers and events at http://oakbrew.com.