Serious about fall futbol

By Tom Williams

11On Aug. 15, the league kicked off its 28th season with Soccer Day at the Poland High School stadium. Travel teams played early in the day then gave way to scrimmages for the high school varsity and junior varsity teams as well as an alumni game.

The highlight of the day was a parade of teams that had hundreds of players and coaches participate and featured a performance by the Poland High marching band.

With another season featuring more than 900 players about to launch, soccer is a big deal in Poland.

Ken Conzett, PYSA president, says the league has 72 youth teams and six travel teams that compete in the Youngstown Area Youth Soccer League. Youth play begins Labor Day weekend.

Conzett estimated that there are 950 children playing (ages 5-18) as well as 300 volunteers who serve as coaches and referees. An 18-member board directs the league.

Although many youth soccer leagues play in the summer, the Poland league is a fall activity.

“Soccer is the fall sport around here,” Conzett said. “We kind of run parallel with the high school season. We don’t compete with baseball like a lot of other programs do.”

Dave Cooper, who help coach a travel team, said, “We’re here to teach them good soccer skills to make them all better soccer players no matter what their level of skill is when they start. We want them to leave better than they came.”

Michelle Frangos, another travel coach, said she’s motivated because “we have fun. It’s quality time with my daughter Lea. We like to practice hard, but we like to have fun, too.”

Conzett likes that ”soccer is a non-stop sport. You’re constantly running, you’re always active. Even for the kids who aren’t as skilled, the ball always ends up at your feet at some time so you always have plenty of opportunities to kick the ball. It’s a great exercise sport. There’s really no a lot of standing around in soccer.”

Conzett said the coaches are offered help.

“Every year, we offer a free clinic for coaches,” Conzett said. “It’s a two-day, three-hour clinic.”

Travel coaches are required to take classes for a license.

“We do not require that for our youth [coaches]. We don’t even require the to come to our free clinic but we hope they come,” Conzett said.

— Tom Williams, Vindicator sports staff