Alpena Community College President Don MacMaster has announced that the college will add both men’s and women’s soccer to its athletic offerings next fall.

Coaches will be hired by the end of this year so recruiting can begin as soon as possible.

ACC already sponsors seven sports — women’s volleyball, basketball, and softball, men’s cross country, basketball, and baseball, and coed esports. The addition of the two soccer teams will result in ACC having more than 100 student-athletes.

“Plans have been underway for some time now,” Athletic Director Allen Telgenhof said. “We have had conversations with people in the Alpena soccer community for over a year now, and it culminated in a brainstorming session with a group of soccer stakeholders earlier this month. It is clear that this is a community that supports soccer!”

ACC soccer will compete in the Michigan Community College Athletic Association, as do the other ACC sports, with the exception of esports. Other MCCAA colleges with soccer teams are Delta College, Grand Rapids Community College, Jackson College, Lake Michigan College, Marian University-Ancilla, Muskegon Community College, Schoolcraft College, and St. Clair County Community College.

The plan is to partner with the soccer community to use existing facilities in Alpena for the 2025-26 season, with a goal to eventually have a soccer complex on property owned by ACC.

“This is a great opportunity for us to keep soccer players from Northeast Michigan close to home and playing at the next level,” Telgenhof added. “We are hoping to have around 30 more student-athletes attending ACC as a result of this addition.”

Anyone interested in learning more about ACC soccer or in applying for the coaching positions can contact Telgenhof at 989-358-7330 or telgenha@alpenacc.edu.