Middle schoolers across Sarasota County now have a new way to compete: boys and girls soccer teams are launching at all traditional middle schools for the 2026-27 school year.

The expansion means students at Heron Creek Middle School and the district's other traditional campuses can play organized, school-based soccer for the first time at the middle school level. Sarasota County Schools posted the news on X on Aug. 13, reiterating an announcement first made July 21, as classes resumed Monday, Aug. 10.

For Lakewood Ranch families whose children attend Heron Creek Middle, the addition fills a gap. Until now, middle school students who wanted to play soccer had to look outside the school system for club or recreational leagues.

The district said it is expanding middle school athletics by adding boys and girls soccer at all traditional middle schools. The district operates seven traditional middle school campuses: Booker, Heron Creek, McIntosh, Sarasota, Venice, Woodland and Brookside Middle, which now operates as Gulf Coast Academy of Innovation & Technology. Whether the renamed Brookside campus will field soccer teams has not been confirmed.

Soccer is the first phase of a broader push. Boys and girls flag football arrives at all middle schools in spring 2027, and girls flag football will be offered at every district-managed high school starting that same semester, according to LBK News reporting on the district's athletic plans.

The district also offers $20 ECG heart screenings for student-athletes, with financial assistance available for families who need help covering the cost.

No tryout dates, season schedules or coach assignments have been published yet. Families interested in getting their child involved should contact their school's athletic director directly.