There are already over 800 kids signed up for the free program, and administrators and volunteers are meeting to coordinate and delegate responsibilities.
Although full-fledged soccer teams are operating in the local high schools, this will be the first complete soccer program for both boys and girls in the city.
"The city never had anything for boys and girls ages 5 to 13, so for the first time in the history of Union City that we wanted to start a soccer recreation program," said Chris Irizarry, commissioner of parks and public works and board secretary for the Board of Education.
Irizarry, who has been spearheading the start of the project, is also working with a group of about eight volunteers who are acting as the administrating advisory committee. They are currently trying to organize schedules and training program for the kids, as well creating standard criteria for all those volunteers interested in helping with the program.
"These are the higher echelon for our group, which will help create and organize the program," said Irizarry. "This is all voluntary, and we have a lot of good people with good input about the game; some are from [established soccer programs] in West New York and North Bergen."
"I am here because the most important thing are kids, and I would like to help so that they have a stable program," said Walter Lagos of Secaucus, a semi-professional player in his youth and a longtime coach for kids soccer in North Bergen and Clifton.
Despite not having there own official town soccer program in years, many of Union City's kids have played in teams of surrounding municipalities and won championship titles. Many of the high school players have been accepted to colleges on soccer scholarships.
"We've been fortunate that the surrounding cities have [accommodated] our players and have been able to keep up the game through them," said Tony Villalobos, head coach of boys junior varsity and assistant coach of boys varsity at Emerson. "I'm very excited that we are developing a basis not only for the sport, but for the future of the city. I believe [programs like these] help alleviate a lot of problems, especially with gang [involvement] and other nonsense."
Running the clinics
Recently the committee held their first introductory meeting, where they broke down the groups of kids by age bracket and organized the training schedule for the soccer clinics. The kids must first attend the clinics to become familiar with the rules of the game and receive basic training before they compete in organized matches.
"It depends on how many kids we have, and there is a tremendous interest in the sport," said Irizarry, who is scheduling time at the local school gymnasiums for the practice clinics.
Currently, the city soccer fields are not yet finished. However, it is anticipated that by mid-March or early April the new recreational field by Jose Marti Middle School will be finished, and the kids will have the opportunity for practice and games on a full field.
An additional, smaller practice field is also being prepared at First Street Park.
"The county is helping us build a little practice soccer field at First Street adjacent to the existing Little League Park [which is shared with Jersey City]," said Irizarry. "That will hopefully be completed by mid- to the latter part of April."
The committee also decided to break up the girl and boy teams for kids above the age of 9, while the younger groups will be a mix of both and probably have regularly scheduled weekend practices.
"It's good to cultivate talent early, and it will probably make my job easier," said Thomas Duncan, head coach of the varsity girls soccer team for Emerson High School.
Staring up soon
Registration for the program began early in February, with a turnout of 849 kids.
"Obviously there was a demand and need for the program, and now the kids have another opportunity to run around and have fun," said Irizarry.
Many parents and other local soccer aficionados signed up to volunteer for the program in many capacities. So far, there are a total of 89 volunteers.
"They are mostly parents and teachers, but there are also a lot of people just interested in soccer in general," said Irizarry. "So currently, for every 10 kids we have a volunteer; we're fortunate in that sense."
The city's soccer program is being sponsored by Mayor Brian Stack and the Union City Board of Commissioners. The program was introduced earlier this month with the help of the Metro Stars, who stopped by Jose Marti Middle School and showed off some of their legendary skills. It is a hope that Union City will also one day have its own traveling soccer stars.
But for now clinics are expected to begin by March 14 or March 21 at the latest.
As a schedule becomes more readily available, the advisory committee will be reaching out to volunteers and kids. When the clinics first begin, kids will be asked to come dressed in shorts or sweatpants and sneakers. The city will also be sponsoring T-shirts for the kids.
"It's a brand new program, and as time goes on we will make it a lot more cohesive," said Irizarry.
For more information, contact the Union City Department of Parks and Public Works at (201) 348-5748.
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