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ADULT SOCCER
Ever find yourself watching your kid at
soccer practice and wish you were still playing the game? You can be!
Join the WABCO Tuesday
Soccer League to get
your fix!
What:
The WTSL is a year-round pick-up game composed of players from a
variety of companies and schools in the Duncan/Spartanburg area. Our
format usually involves picking teams and playing an ‘open match’
(keeping score in our heads or not at all) before finishing with a
‘first to three’ or ‘best of 5’ mini-game that generally leaves us
completely exhausted.
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We are self-refereeing (gentlemanly play only please). And though there
is no slide tackling – we do understand that soccer is fundamentally a
contact sport and collisions occasionally happen. Happily, over our
four years of play, the only major (two knee) injuries that have
occurred in our game have been of the non-contact variety.
We play with as few as 6 players. But more commonly the game involves
6v6 or 8v8. In the Summer, our numbers frequently balloon to the point
that we play with full-sized teams and/or divide into two games.
Who:
Past and present players range in age from early teens to early 50s and
everywhere in between. Well over 100 players have been involved over
the past 5 years, including Byrnes and Dorman students, USA coaches and
players and employees of BMW (and various suppliers), WABCO, Alcoa
Fujikura, Milliken and other companies.
The playing level is varied, ranging from guys (and gals) with great
technique to those of us who have just enough command of the basic
skills to play on the same field with the speedy BMW interns and
(usually) keep our pride intact. If you are a brand-new player to the
game, you are welcome but you will want to practice some basic skills
with your child, or it could be pretty frustrating jumping right in.
When and Where:
We play each week at the USA Complex
on Tuesday afternoons. Specific match time depends on the weather and
season, but warm-up/matches generally begin at 5:00 (or 5:30 in the
Summer) and continue through sunset (or 7:00 in the Summer).
How:
Email Mark Henry @ Developmental@UpstateSoccer.org for your weekly
invitation/reminder.
All you need to bring are some cleats, some shin pads (optional – most
don’t wear them), a red-shirt (if you don’t want a penny) and a white
shirt and a pair of willing legs. There is no cost to play, although we
keep a tip jar for donations. The tip jar proceeds go 100% to the
soccer club, with the exception every now and then of buying an extra
ball or something if not enough people are bringing one.
Why:
Mainly because we love to play. But someday we would love to see USA
offer a formal adult rec component. This pick-up league is a good way
to introduce new people (and hopefully families) and new businesses
(and hopefully sponsors) to the USA family. The greater the
participation in WTSL, the sooner an adult rec soccer league in
Duncan/Spartanburg might become a reality!
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