As originally published in the Grand Traverse Insider
The Grand Traverse Bay Y will be offering a youth soccer league again this fall. The season begins on Saturday, September 18th and is open to all boys and girls in grades K-12. The cost of the program is $25 for Y members and $50 for non-members. The registration deadline is Friday, August 27th.
The Y fall soccer league is a six week program that runs through Saturday, October 23rd. Each team will play 8 games during the course of the season. The divisions are formed by grade-level, and all divisions are co-ed. The main goals of Y youth sports are fun, fitness, and friendly competition for all participants.
Y Youth Sports Coordinator Bill Sparks comments on the upcoming soccer season. “Y soccer has become a real fall tradition in the Traverse City area. Thousands of area kids have participated in the program over the years.”
Sparks, who has also officiated Y soccer for over 20 seasons, goes on to say, “The Y soccer league is a perfect mix of fun and competition. It is great to see the kids in our program enjoy the sport of soccer, as well as develop and improve their fundamental skills of the game.”
One young man that has played Y soccer for several years is Tristen Roman. “I like playing sports, especially basketball and soccer,” comments Roman. Tristen is a student-athlete that will be attending Traverse City West Senior-High this fall as a freshman. “Playing soccer through the Y the past couple of years allowed me to play both sports in and out of season. We played and scrimmaged against a variety of teams without having to do a lot of traveling. This allowed me time to go to open gyms and continue playing soccer.”
Roman finishes by saying, “I was also able to play with some of my close friends and have fun playing the game. Playing Y soccer kept the game fun for me. I recommend it for anyone who wishes to play multiple sports and just loves the game.”
And kids of all ages enjoy Y soccer. Tristen’s younger sister Mikayla also participates in Y soccer. “I really liked playing soccer this year!” comments Mikayla, who will be going into 4th grade this coming school year. “I was able to be on a team with my friends and we had lots of fun!”
A major factor in the success of the Y soccer program is the role that the team coaches play. Our coaches donate their time on a volunteer basis. One of our coaches, Mr. Greg Bennett, shares some of his coaching experiences. “What I thought to be one season as a soccer coach has become eight years with many blessings. My family and I have made many friends through soccer and find ourselves looking forward to each season, a time to spend with our soccer friends and their families. I have developed many new skills throughout the years that have been helpful in my personal life. I also see the same in the kids. As their skills grow so does their confidence. Their spirit comes alive and there’s a glow about them. Often at practice I find myself running up and down the field just being a kid myself, challenging others and being challenged, often being teamed up on.” Mr. Bennett adds, “At the end of practice I find my biggest problem is getting the kids to go home. This leaves a coach feeling good inside. I have learned what not to do like never stand in the goal and talk to a parent, the team finds great pleasure in shooting at the coach, never start a grass fight with the team (not good for coach), also never argue with the referee, he is always right.”
Coach Bennett concludes by saying, “Coaching has been one of the best decisions I have made, it has made me a better person.”
And the new Y soccer fields on Silver Lake Road will be making their debut for the fall season! Bill Sparks looks forward to having games played at the new facility. “ We are excited about hosting soccer games on our new fields this fall. We will continue to play games at the other outstanding locations that we have used over the years, but the new Y fields will be a much welcomed addition to our program.”
If you would like more information about the Y fall soccer league, please feel free to call the Y at 933-9622. Y Youth Sports Coordinator Bill Sparks, or Y Program Director Barb Beckett would be glad to answer any questions that you may have about our program. You may also visit our website at www.gtbayymca.org for additional information.
