Soccer Leagues Kick Off New Season Next Week

A soccer league for adults launched last spring by Port resident Jennifer Huettl will return this season, with scrimmages starting already on Monday.

"We anticipate possibly doubling our number of players from last season and have potential local sponsors in the works to sponsor team/league jerseys," Heuttl said in an e-mail to Patch. "We are also starting up an adult kickball league this summer as well as adult tennis leagues."

The league involves all sorts of skill levels, with players Missy Winkworth and Ryan Diaz as perfect examples.

"It is competitive soccer but it remains light and fun at the same time. The level of skill varies. No matter the skill level, everyone plays and has a great time with it," Diaz said, who played for many years while growing up.

Winkworth, on the other hand, stepped on the field for her first time after joining the league.

"I joined last year at the age of 35, and I had never played before," Winkworth wrote in an e-mail to Patch. "If I could learn how to play — anyone can. I still only kind of  know what I'm doing, but I feel like I am improving, and it is because of my teammates. They rock! They have even helped me score a few goals."

Winkworth said her team initially signed up as 4V4 but were combined with other players because most of the league is 7V7.

"Because we felt like we were old and out of shape we named our team 'Fat Camp,'" she said. "We intended to play for fun as well as for exercise. ... I kept apologizing for our name to all of the new, younger, fit, experienced teammates, but they didn't seem to mind. This year we're changing the name to FC United."

While Diaz said he joined because of the love of the sport and as a way to get exercise, there were other perks, too.

"I saw it as a great opportunity to get some exercise while playing a sport I love," he said. "Aside from the athletic aspect of playing, I also saw it as a chance to get to know more people in the area. My wife and I have lived in Port for six years but are not from the area. It has been an amazing experience and I now look forward to Monday and Wednesday nights every week."

The group will host scrimmages at 6:30 p.m. Monday and Thursday as well as May 6 and 9 at two separate fields: Meadows Park (behind Dunwiddie Elementary) and the field at St. Peter's of Alcantara.

The leagues are as follows:

• Spring Session: Runs 8 weeks. Mondays — May 6 - July 1 (no games May 27th); Thursdays — May 9 - June 27
• Summer Sessions: Runs 8 weeks. Mondays — July 8 - August 26; Thursdays — July 11 - August 29

Costs are outlined as follows:

• $60/player one night per week per session
• $75/player two nights per week per session
• $110/player one night per week both sessions ($10 savings)
• $140/player two nights per week both sessions ($10 savings)

Find more on the Port Washington Soccer website. The kickball leagues start June 4.

"Summer in Port looks like it will be full of fun opportunities for adults and youth," Heuttl said.