RECREATION
Soccer moms, dads get their chance on the field

By Leila Wai
Special to The Advertiser

The player looks up, sees the open goal, and prepares the soccer ball for the perfect shot. Footsteps are approaching louder and faster from behind. There's time for one final touch, then the wind up, and then ...

Mark Hironoga, left, Emile Itchener, center, and Chuck Bayne give chase to the ball during a recent soccer match. Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

The player throws back his head and erupts into laughter. He hears shouts of, "That's OK!" or "Nice try, you'll get it next time!"

Welcome to the world of 7-a-side coed soccer, where the emphasis is about having a good time.

"I love it, it is so much fun," said Chris Haines, in his first year playing soccer. "There are nice people and they are very forgiving when I make mistakes."

The league's official name is the Co-ed Soccer Association of Hawai'i, but to those associated with it, there is nothing official about it.

Games often start without the required number of seven players per team, and players switch teams as needed. This may lead to some confusion for the spectators, who may see up to three or four sets of uniforms on the field at one time.

Most players started because their children were playing in youth leagues, either the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) or the Hawai'i Youth Soccer Association (HYSA), and they wanted to see what it was about.

"We try to promote soccer, not only to the older, experienced players who no longer can play competitively on the 11-a-side field, but to the new older players, such as parents who have been watching their kids and are really excited to play, and who want a place to go but don't have a place," said Nan Alota, the commissioner of the league.

They play Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays at Ala Wai Park. Two games are played each night, starting at 6:45 p.m. and 8 p.m., with 30-minute halves. Most teams have one scheduled game a week, although some teams play two nights depending on the rotation of the schedule.

Haines, whose son plays on the soccer team at Iolani, got started because of his three soccer-playing children. "My children have played for years and I just thought I would try it and get some exercise.

"I've been around it for a long time and I'm finally getting my chance. You always dream about being a soccer player," he said. "My one child came out and watched it one time and laughed so hard that he didn't want to come back."

Laughter, whether it comes from the crowd or the players themselves, seems to be a main theme in the coed league.

"This is just for fun, and we play with people in our age bracket, that's what I like about it," said Susan Glanstein, an Information Technology Specialist at the University of Hawai'i.

Debby Archeta, left, and Diane Hosaka go up for a header. Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

The league, which has been operating for about five years, does have age minimums. Novice women must be older than 35; experienced women must be older than 40. Novice men must be over 40, and experienced men must be over 49. No more than four men can be on the field at the same time.

"Because the league has been going for about five years, and the novices are no longer novices, we try to encourage teams to pick up new people," Alota said.

There are no set dimensions for the field: the field is as big as the boundaries at Ala Wai Park will let it. The field is set up in the outfield behind third base, next to the large soccer field.

The goals, which are about 3 feet-by-3 feet, are not regulated. One sits as close to the infield dirt as possible without resting on it. The other is near a light post, which is wrapped with a spongy material in case someone gets too close.

There is one referee in charge of making sure that play doesn't get too rough and that "rules" aren't broken.

To even out the parity between the players, different rules have been implemented. A player is allowed only four touches on the ball, and can only score on the offensive side of the field. The ball can't cross the midfield in the air on goal kicks, and there is a "poison arc," a 10-foot half-circle around the goals that no player can enter. Because of this, there are no goalies.

Soccer, known as a running game, gives these adults a chance to get their exercise while having a lot of fun.

"I just like to get out and play; to run and kick the ball," Sherryl Buecher, who works for the Department of Health, said. "It's fun and it's exercise. Being in the evening it's not as hot and humid."

Buecher, who also started because her children played, said she enjoys the running and the camaraderie among the players.

Fees are $375 per team; each player is charged $15 every September, which is the start of the United States Soccer Federation fiscal year.

There are two seasons in a year, from September through the end of February, and from March to August. Teams take a break from Dec. 10-Jan. 15 because of the holidays and to let the fields recover.

There are currently 11 teams, with about 10 players on each squad. Teams are looking for new players, especially women, to fill their rosters.

For more information on how to get started, call Alota at 539-4225 or 523-0860.