Youth soccer clubs merge

The Vancouver Timbers and the Camas-Washougal Soccer Club will merge into one youth soccer club.

The teams of the Vancouver United Soccer Association — recently renamed Vancouver Timbers — voted overwhelmingly to approve the merger proposal. The voting concluded Tuesday evening, and the merger will happen immediately, according to Vancouver Timbers board president David Hughes.

The expanded club will be called Vancouver Timbers, at least initially, Hughes said.

The process of combining the clubs’ governing bodies will take several months. Hughes said the goal is to complete that process by the end of 2012.

This spring, the two clubs will hold independent tryouts for advanced competition teams, though the teams will work together throughout the season, Hughes said.

Recreation soccer teams will continue to be formed locally within the communities.

The vote among Vancouver Timbers teams to approve the merger was 50-3, Hughes said. A total of 103 Vancouver Timbers teams were eligible to vote.

The Camas-Washougal Soccer Club board of directors previously voted unanimously to merge with Vancouver.

The merged club will serve more than 3,500 boys and girls ages 5-18. It is one of three clubs in the metro area that is part of the Adidas Timbers Alliance, a partnership with the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer.