By EMILY REED / Special to the Reporter

HOOVER – Michael Houghton has always been interested in soccer, both as a player and a fan.

It was his interest in the sport that prompted him and his wife, Alex Houghton, to open The Soccer Post off Valleydale Road near U.S. 280.

“Soccer is a sport that really seems to be gaining momentum in the area,” Michael Houghton said. “We really want to serve customers with all of their soccer needs.”

A ribbon cutting was held on Feb. 20 at the store, co-sponsored by the Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce and the Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce.

Houghton grew up in England before relocating to New Orleans, Louisiana, and eventually settled in Birmingham.

“Growing up in England, soccer was very common and popular,” Houghton said. “I am not a very good soccer player, but I enjoy the sport. I played more as a kid than I did in my teen years, but soccer was something you always did for fun.”

The store sells a variety of soccer shoes, including both indoor and outdoor cleats, shorts, socks, shin guards, and a wide variety of soccer jerseys from different clubs and national teams.

Houghton said a goal of the store is to provide for local teams including high schools, or adult teams that might need gear or accessories for games.

“We are hoping that we will become the store that schools come to for things that they need for the season,” Houghton said. “ If a school has a soccer team, we would love for them to come talk to us.”

Houghton said the store also carries children’s sizes in shoes for kids that play soccer on local teams.

The store opened about a month ago, and Houghton said customer feedback has been positive.

“We have been hearing from a lot of our customers that they are happy we are open,” Houghton said. “There are not many soccer stores around, so we are looking forward to becoming part of the community. We are still working on getting our name out, but we have been utilizing social media such as Facebook and Instagram and we have really seen a good response from that.”

Houghton said the store also carries items for individuals that don’t play soccer, but enjoy comfortable clothes, or enjoy the sport.

“You would be surprised with the amount of people that enjoy wearing soccer shorts because of the comfort,” Houghton said. “We also have a lot of jerseys from national teams that are popular for people to wear even if they don’t play.”

The store is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.

Information about new products or promotions can be found on Facebook at Soccer Post of Birmingham or on Instagram at Soccer Post of Birmingham.

The store is located at 5291 Valleydale Road, Unit 137, next to Daylight Donuts.

For more information, call 783-5556, email soccerpostbham@gmail.com or visit SoccerPostBhm.com.