By Dale Smith
The Soccer Association of Boca Raton, known as SABR, recently completed its 33rd year of providing Boca Raton families’ weekends of enjoyment from October through February. Since 1978, SABR has grown from 200 children to over 3,000 players this year. The age groups range from as young as four years old to nineteen. SABR consists of 450 adult volunteers who coach, train and develop the soccer youth of our town. This recreational program provides age-appropriate instruction and competition; there are ten levels for boys and nine levels for girls.
The program is committed to player development and the acquisition of soccer skills, as well as teaching the concepts of teamwork, cooperation, good sportsmanship and fair play. The goal is for the children to have fun while playing in a safe, supportive environment. The teams are sponsored by local businesses or parents and the sponsorship fee covers the cost of the uniforms which will feature the sponsors name on the uniform.
The games are played on well-manicured fields on local parks such as Patch Reef and El Rio and the amount of players on the field at one time, the size of the field and the goals are modified to fit the age group of the children. The games are officiated by three U.S. Soccer Federation certified referees. There is usually one practice per week on a weeknight after school on a lighted field. The twelve game season is followed by the playoffs and the Division Championship game called The Tom Cup.
All the championship games take place on the last Saturday in February at Patch Reef Park with a party for the kids afterwards. The Division Champs will then represent SABR and play against the champion squads of the Greater Boca Youth Soccer Association in the East / West Challenge. The teams’ coaches and assistant coaches are parents of a child on their team. For the past three seasons we have had both of our daughters competing in the league and we have seen considerable improvement in their level of play and understanding of the game.
The coaching has not only been instructional but these volunteer parents become personally involved in a positive, mentoring way with each of the players on their team. The coaches make sure that playing time is as equal as possible for each player, regardless of their skill level, and they rotate positions for the kids so they are able to acquire new techniques. The games are attended by sometimes up to fifty or sixty parents, siblings and friends of the families who sit on the sidelines in folding chairs on the opposite sideline from the coaches.
The fans encouragement for the children are to say the least, vocal, and usually, and especially during the playoffs, extremely enthusiastic. The family’s support of the players is important as the kids learn good sportsmanship while competing at an increasingly higher level. The playoff games are very dramatic, often ending with goal kicks to decide a sudden death double overtime game. The lessons and experiences learned by these young players are invaluable as they progress up the age-level ranks of the league where the competitiveness and teams’ expectation to win increases.
By the end of the season, the kids have formed very strong bonds with their teammates and coaches, and although there is a sadness in saying good-bye after the last game, there is a sense of pride and accomplishment felt by these youngsters. We look forward to the fall for another season of participation in the Soccer Association of Boca Raton. Come join us for the fun!