HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1997-05-28, Page 9THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 28,1997 PAGE 9.
Recreatie>n
Soccer participation enthusiastic in region
By Janice Becker
Citizen staff
It's fast-paced, it's fun and everyone can get
involved.
Those are just a few of the reasons
participants give for the increased interest in
the sport of soccer.
However, from the very early days, from
the time when soccer was known as football,
the area had enthusiastic players and
spectators.
As early as the first decade of the new
century, Brussels senior football teams were
winning, taking at least two Dominion
Championships in those years, says Bill King,
a veteran of the sport. They also earned
several Huron Football League titles.
Throughout the first few decades, Brussels
played in a league with Walton, Ethel,
Winthrop, Seaforth and St. Columban and
was known for their strong teams, he says.
Brussels took a big step in the 1940's,
joining the London District Football League,
competing against such centres as
Woodstock, Brantford and Stratford.
King, who played from the time he could
crawl until he turned 36, says Brussels always
did very well.
It was during this early 1940's period when
King says the sport was very popular in
Brussels. "We had to fight to get on the
team."
Playing at Victoria Park, King says, they
had terrific crowds watching their games.
"People lined both sides of the park," he says.
"There must have been at least 500 there."
Brussels was also the first community to
have floodlights for the field, allowing night
games and encouraging farmers, who were
busy during the day, to play on the teams, he
says.
"Hugh Pearson was instrumental in getting
the lights," King says.
World War II brought the first decline in
popularity, which King can recall. When the
men went off to war, the game left with them.
A brief resurgence was witnessed in the
1950s when an increased immigration of
Europeans brought their sport with them.
Though King retired from football in 1956,
he believes it was the increasing influence of
American football and the teaching of it in
high schools which led to the decline of
soccer through the 60s and 70s
However, in recent years, interest has again
begun to rise, possibly because they are once
again teaching it in schools, says King, or
because of the equipment costs associated
with American football.
In Brussels alone, registration
for the recreation soccer league
has risen from the low 100s to
220 in just three years, says
Steve Bowers, Brussels Minor
Soccer Club president.
Having first become involved
in soccer four years ago when
his oldest son took up the sport,
Bowers says he believes the
popularity has grown simply
because "kids like it."
"As a recreational league,
everyone gets to actively
participate. Everyone can run
and they get to run. Soccer may
not be as dependent on skill as
some other sports," he says. "It
is also easier for younger
children because they can still
run and kick the ball."
Children may play the sport
more often as well, says
Bowers, because all they need
is a ball to play. "They can pick
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Participate in your favourite sports.
At Manning's we have a good
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Including: approved protective
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up a game anywhere."
There are also advantages for the parents of
children in soccer. Like baseball, there is little
equipment to buy and for soccer, registration
fees have been kept down thanks to annual
involvement by the Brussels Optimist Club.
Soccer mom Rita Bowers says she likes the
sport because it is a great cardiovascular
workout and it is not an individual sport.
There had even been interest shown in an
adult team, but with no lighted fields,
scheduling would be difficult, says Steve
Bowers.
Bly th has seen a similar rise in enrollment
in soccer, jumping almost 80 per cent over
last year's totals, says Joanne VanAmersfoort,
whose husband, Herb, is instrumental in the
organization of the sport each spring.
Parents have said they like the sport
because the whole team gets involved. The
children don't just stand around, she says.
"Having a soccer field in Blyth now also
helps."
A soccer field northwest of the Threshers'
Park opened last year, allowing children in
the village to play at home rather than
travelling to Belgrave for their home games.
A resurgence in soccer interest that began
as an indoor sport at the arena 10 years ago
has grown to include 120 players on eight
teams, from 18 plus to Atoms, who will
compete against other communities, says
VanAmersfoort. An additional 45 children,
eight and under, will make up a house league
and play against each other each Monday
from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m.
VanAmersfoort says she believes parents
like the sport because it is inexpensive and the
season is not long.
The soccer season is completed by early
August, still allowing family vacation time.
From all indications, soccer has secured its
place in the realm of recreational activities
provided by communities across the county.
In recent years, soccer has made a comeback in the area, but pictured at top is a group
who played the field in Walton in 1935. Today, almost every community has soccer
teams for children under six years old to 18 plus squads.
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