Guest Column
Alan J. Nicholls
Behind the scenes at the Upper Freehold-Allentown Soccer League
First, I would like to take this opportunity to bring our soccer community up-to-date with the latest developments in regard to land currently being prepared for soccer fields in the township. Ground was broken, last month, on the Van Hise tract on Old York Road opposite St. John’s Church and the Globus Pharmacy, and the goal is to have these fields ready for use by the fall of 2002. This tract, in addition to the Byron Johnson Recreational site on Ellisdale Road, has been a long time in the making; with a membership this year approaching 400 children between the grades of K through eight, the need for these fields is self-evident.
Secondly, earlier this year, for the first time, we were able to offer Spring Recreational soccer, utilizing new additional field space that was offered at the school in Imlaystown. Over 80 children turned out on Saturday mornings in May and June. We currently field eight recreational teams that play in the Midlands league in surrounding townships. We also have four travel teams who currently play spring and fall seasons, providing a great farm system for the Allentown Regional High School teams of the future. We anticipate being able to implement another spring recreation and travel program in 2002.
None of this these expanded programs and/or facility acquisitions and developments would have been possible without an enormous amount of time, effort and support from some dedicated members of our community. While I know that I cannot name all of the numerous contributors individually, the league extends its gracious thanks to each and every one of them. There are, however, a few people in particular who deserve an extra special thanks, and I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge them:
The Township of Upper Freehold Deputy Mayor Bill Miscoski has worked diligently and unceasingly within our community to acquire recreational land for use by our youth. He, along with his son Ryan, could even be found recently at the Van Hise site disking and grading the land, so that the fields would be ready for Stuart Reed and his family to prepare the soil and seed this week. These two parties deserve our appreciation and gratitude for their efforts.
A very big thank you to Keith Prince and Fred Valhsing at EME Excavating for providing the equipment and manpower to get the job done.
Two of the previous soccer association presidents, Ida Ruch and Rob Swanekamp, and board members Richard Hesselhein, Della Harbourt and her late husband Mark were founding members of our soccer league. They started with a handful of kids who they nurtured, and developed the founding principles of the program, while it was in its infancy. For this, the program will always owe a debt of gratitude.
John Devenney spent many years on the board before launching the travel program, which continues to be active and in place. Through his generous efforts, he has given our kids a chance to develop and mature their skills, as well as providing a potential farm system for the local high school soccer team.
Ed Coldren, Joe Jakabowski and Dan Venet from our school system have kindly donated the use of school facilities over the years, providing the space needed to keep the soccer program alive. These efforts have made the existence of our soccer program possible, and for this we are grateful.
We all need to thank all of the team sponsors, old and new, and too numerous to list, for the generous financial support that they have provided to us over the years.
Finally, a very special thanks to all those volunteers who have acted as positive role models and have given their precious time and endless patience to ensure we have a positive physical, emotional, and social outlet to provide for our children.
However, it is important to remember that our work is not finished, and as the community grows, so does the need for recreational sports programs that are responsive to the needs of our children and the community. Please feel free to address the soccer board with suggestions, new ideas and concerns, so that we can work to make our program the best that it can be.
Alan J. Nicholls is president of the Upper Freehold-Allentown Youth Soccer League in the Cream Ridge section of Upper Freehold