Takoma Park Soccer League Launches 29th Season

Sept. 18 will mark the beginning of the Takoma Park Soccer league's 29th season. Now somewhat of an institution in the town, the league serves children from nursery school through high school, and runs from from mid-September until late fall.

According to league commissioner Howard Cohn, who has been involved with Takoma Park Soccer since his now-grown daughter was a first-grader in 1989, the league is "strictly recreational." It is simply meant to foster a fun, learning, athletic environment. 

Alex Hutchinson, a 25-year-old Takoma Park resident who played in the league all through elementary school, agrees with Kohn's assessment.

"It was very non-competitive," he said. "There wasn't a lot of pressure from parents to excel, but I thought that was good. It fits very well into Takoma Park's whole laid-back, hippie atmosphere." 

Kohn described the culture of the league as "close-to-home," noting that "all action happens on fields within a 2 mile radius of the Takoma Park Community Center."

Although matches and practices occur within a compact vicinity, the region's extensive diversity can be seen on the field.

"Because soccer is such a universal sport and because so many families have moved into this area from soccer-loving countries, [the kids] often make friends with other children they might not ordinarily meet," Kohn wrote in an email interview.

Coaches of the majority of the teams are moms and dads of participating kids. According to Kohn, the coaches "played at least a little bit when they were children." Kohn himself coached in the league for several years.

Takoma Park resident Reed Thompson, whose two children played in the league when they were in early elementary school, said the coaches' lack of soccer experience is barely noticeable on the field of play.

"I was always really impressed with how great the parents were at becoming coaches," he said. "From a soccer perspective, the level of play always improved by the end of the year."

Kohn's 21-year tenure with Takoma Park Soccer has allowed him to be a firsthand witness to a generational cycle of kids who participated from a very young age all the way through high school, and then later returned to serve the league just as they were once served.

"Players from our league probably won't go on to professional soccer careers, but I bet many of them will coach their own children someday," he said. "In a few instances, players who graduated from our league have returned as AmeriCorps volunteers and have signed up to be coaches in their spare time."

There are still roster spots to be filled for the upcoming soccer season. Parents can sign their children up online, but an in-person registration will also be held this Saturday from 10 a.m. until noon behind the Takoma Park Community Center.

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