Adult Soccer League Teams

Many threads weave together to create an adult soccer league team. Homegrown American talent mingles with international players for whom playing soccer is like breathing. Adult women looking to stay active but bored with jogging join former high school all-stars. Some players bring skills, others endurance, and still others either enthusiasm, organizing ability or a willingness to play in goal. All ignore the common saying that "soccer is a kid's game."

Types

Adult soccer teams can elect to be part of a recreational or competitive league or a master's league for players over 30 or 40. "Adult leagues are usually divided into levels according to your experience and athletic ability," says Wes Harvey, an adult and youth soccer coach in Baltimore, Maryland. The age cutoff is usually 18 and over. For example, the Howard County, Maryland, adult soccer program has four divisions, A through D, for women, and three divisions, 1 through 3, for men. The women's D division has an age cutoff of 25, and the other divisions, 18.

Purpose

Adult soccer "allows interested former youth soccer players to continue to play the game they love but also provides for new adult players to learn the game," writes Charlie Slagel, chief executive of the North Carolina's Capital Area Soccer League, in "The Soccer Coaching Bible." Adult soccer also helps the parents of soccer players appreciate the game and provides a talent source of potential coaches and referees. Elite teams can compete at the national level in cups sponsored by the U.S. Adult Soccer Association.

Motivation

Players pay their share of the league fee and come out voluntarily to play. "People play to stay in shape, they play because they've been serious about the game and they're not quitting and for social reasons and there are some players who are very serious about the competitive aspect of sport," Harvey observes. Latino immigrant communities may also find a soccer league to be an anchor, almost as much as finding a place to live and a job, and organize leagues with hundreds of teams. Arizona State University geographer Daniel David Arreola chronicled the phenomenal growth of Hispanic leagues in Phoenix and Washington, D.C., in his book "Hispanic Spaces, Latino Places."

Team Organization

An adult soccer league team typically has a manager who pays the league fee and gets players to sign the roster; it's as likely to do without a coach as to have one. Teams may obtain a sponsor, such as a restaurant, bar or business, to defray costs. To get players, they recruit friends or ask the league to find them players. Chemistry is important to success, as adult teams rarely practice. "Most players meet each other either on the field or in pickup, and sometimes are introduced by friends," Harvey says.