Joe Imel/Daily News

After years of competition and distrust, competitive soccer in Bowling Green is once again united. The two competitive teams in Warren County one headed by Southern Kentucky Soccer (SOKY), the other the offshoot Wolves agreed to join together during a meeting Thursday night at the Sloan Convention Center. Approximately 100 parents, board members and officials were in attendance as the two sides discussed the problems that have kept the teams apart. The SOKY faction wanted to keep the competitive team under its control, while the Wolves pushed for the formation of a new, autonomous entity. SOKY is also in charge of the recreational league, which has about 2,000 participating children, and the Lovers Lane Soccer Complex. After nearly three hours, the two sides agreed that it would be best to come together under the SOKY umbrella. This has been needed for years, said Bowling Green High School boys soccer coach Steve Henson, who was also one of the directors of coaching for the Wolves. Ever since they separated, this has been needed. It has grown and festered and turned into a huge sore on our soccer community. The Wolves were started six years ago by Western Kentucky University mens soccer coach David Holmes. Both sides agreed that the combined team would be best for the children. The most important thing about this is the kids, said SOKY President Randy Richey. The kids arent having to pick one club over the other club. They get to play together. Wolves President Andy Wilkins added: Weve been talking about this for a couple of years. If we had known it would be like this, we would have had this forum a long time ago. Henson said he thought the two sides would never have joined if not for the meeting. Ive sat on the merger committee for the past four months and it was dead, he said. This was the only way that we thought everyone could see that were all together and were all friends. Now that everyone is back together, having two separate clubs in the past may actually turn out to be a good thing. Maybe by the two different clubs being formed it has made the one combined club better in the end, Wilkins said. Competition is always good and if you can pull together after that competition then its even better. I think soccer from Bowling Green will now be better and will be able to compete with that in Louisville and Lexington and around the country.