Soccer moms take the field

Something about this Wednesday-night "old ladies soccer" league at Arena Sports seems a bit off. Sure, players are elbowing for space and knocking the ball around and usually in the direction of the other team's goal. But they seem to be ... smiling. Some go so far as to tell an opponent ... "nice shot ... "

Strange as it may be in context with the serious business of soccer, this kind of attitude seems the glue that binds the league, that has enabled it to grow to 13 teams after just a year, and has turned soccer moms into soccer players.

Arena Sports, at Magnuson Park, hosts the indoor league, provides uniforms and helps the uninitiated learn the rules and basic techniques. It even helps with child care during games by providing adult supervision and free access to the "Fun Zone Inflatable Playground."

Terrie McCoy spearheaded the idea when she and a friend began looking for soccer options that were more about camaraderie than wins and losses. She approached Arena, which loved the idea because it was a way to include moms who were already coming to the facility several times a week with their children for Arena's Lil' Kickers Classes, Micro Classes and Youth League play.

"This is nonserious with an emphasis on having fun and showing off for your kids, of course," says Kevin Brunstad, who helps manage the facility and league. "We do keep score, however."

The league continues to grow in large measure due to McCoy, a working mom, soccer player and relentless recruiter. At first, she asked friends and neighbors to play. Then she asked mothers on the sidelines of her kids' games. She hit them up on school playgrounds and in hallways. She asked a stranger in a pizza parlor because the woman's daughter was wearing a soccer uniform. She asked a stranger who spoke with an English accent because "soccer is big there." She invited a woman at a bus stop because she "seemed sporty."

Heidi Hasty had never played team sports before and felt the competitive urge only when playing Scrabble. But her child was in the same kindergarten class as McCoy's, and she finally became receptive to the emphasis on low-key.

"Terrie actually took the time to meet me at a park and teach me — with wood chips — what each of the positions were and what they did," Hasty says. "Then she taught me how to kick the ball and a few other quick pointers so I might actually run the correct direction."

Hasty went to her first game wearing her daughter's shin guards and tennis shoes. She needed a break every three minutes. Now she's hooked, and sees the Wednesday-night games as one of those rare moments when she can forget her to-do list.

"I consider myself a 'soccer-playing mom,' not a 'soccer mom,' " she says now. "I love soccer and wish I had found out how much fun it was as a kid so I had more years to play."

Some of the women in the league are experienced and skilled players. They usually are spread out among the teams and take leadership roles. But each knows that the league is about exercise and fun. McCoy, who shares credit with friend Holly Barker, calls it the old ladies league (although average age is only about 40) because it conveys the message that winning is secondary. Her team is called the Desperate Housewives. Another is called Midfield Crisis.

"I think it is this supportive attitude toward one another that has allowed us to grow so much," says McCoy, a 40-year-old mother of two. "Players new to the sport are welcomed and encouraged and as a result stick with it and tell their friends."

About 40 women in the league have kids at Bryant Elementary School, which is just a few miles from Arena Sports. That didn't bode well for the school's Wednesday-night PTSA (Parent Teacher Student Association) meetings and functions. Many mothers would show up late and in soccer uniforms. The PTSA, McCoy says, will now start meeting on Tuesday nights.

The moms' league runs in various seasons throughout the year and costs each player about $8 a game. It has spawned a husbands' league on Tuesday nights at the indoor facility. For information on either league, contact Brunstad at kbrunsta@arenasports.net or 206-985-8990. There are two other Arena Sports facilities in the area — in Sodo and in Redmond. For more information on the facilities, go to www.arenasports.net.

Richard Seven: 206-464-2241 or rseven@seattletimes.com