There is always room to learn; SABR Adult program also features training and development

By Gary Curreri

Elizabeth Scala is a teacher at Mary Help of Christians Catholic School in Parkland and wanted to give her students more hands-on training.

So, the Boca Raton resident joined the SABR Adult Program’s women’s league to gain more experience and found the experience to be very gratifying since her playing skills were limited.

Carrie Barker, the SABR Director of Coaching, handles SABR Youth Recreational player and coach development, SABR After School  and leads the adults bi-weekly training sessions to help enhance their game. Scala is one of many players who have gone through the training on Tuesday nights.

“Carrie has helped me out a lot,” smiled Scala, who has played in the Adult League since February and trains twice a month with Barker and other ladies in the league. “I was pretty at the bottom of the barrel. I had zero experience and now I can dribble the ball. I can almost juggle. Carrie has come a long way with me.

“I teach physical education, and my kids are heavily into soccer,” she added. “I wanted to better help them. I am very grateful for Carrie. She is definitely very motivating. I had never played soccer before, and I have found that everyone is very nice. If I ever have a question on the field, most of the players are really happy to answer the question.”

Barker said she works hand-in-hand with Heather Anesta, the SABR Adult Program Director and the SABR Women’s Pickup Manager, on formulating topics to cover during the training sessions.

“I always have a topic whether it is working with soccer after school, and the adult soccer,” Barker said. “Heather and I have come up with a program where we say, ‘On this Tuesday, we are going to work on this.’ The attacking, defending, and team shape whatever it may be, and then I stick to that topic and as soccer coaches, you have to be adaptable.

“Elizabeth is a great example of why I enjoy coming out with Adult Soccer because she has never played soccer before and to see what she just did has been pretty incredible,” Barker said after a recent training session. “She’s only been playing since February,. It doesn’t matter to me what age you are, but that you want to learn, you want to develop and you want to have fun.”

Barker said she tries to instill the love of the game, and that comes from all lessons learned. She said you meet new people and try to help them grow as human beings.”

“Not only is she learning,” Barker concluded, “but she wants to teach her children at school, so she took time out of her schedule, and dedicated her time to be a better teacher. That’s a good human being.”

There are between 32 and 64 players per season depending on spring or fall (fall is 7v7 and 11v 11). The cost is $80 league fee, plus $30 for Florida Adult Soccer Association (FASA) insurance for the 18 and over league. Players run the gamut – from students, and hairdressers, to doctors, among others.

SABR Adult League manager Kathy Derken said between seasons people can sign up for pickup (1-3 times per week) for an additional fee.

“There are two seasons of league play which also includes two possible pickup days per week and two training days per month,” said Derken, who has been with the league for 3 1/2 years after moving to Florida from Connecticut. “That also includes one league game per week.”

Derken said they have four teams that change from season to season. The teams are balanced out by total skill with input from any player that has it, however, the final determination is made by agreement of the four team managers.

“We have players of all levels from people who just played as a youth, to people who have played through college and semi-professionally,” Derken said. “Our league contains four SABR teams, so we all play together for league and pickup. There are no teams or rivalry from other towns. We are a recreational league but have some extremely skilled players.”

Players must be 18 to participate, and the oldest player just turned 60 and they travel from as far away as Port St. Lucie all the way to Miami. The majority are local and most of the players are in their 20s or 30s but about 25% of the league is 35 and older.

The Fall games are 60 minutes, while the spring games are 90 minutes, and the league games are played on Wednesdays.

Derken noted. “The people are great and very friendly which is why when people move away like to Port St. Lucie, they make the drive back to play with us.”

The training nights are Tuesdays, with pickup games are Mondays, Wednesdays or Saturdays, and league games on Wednesdays during the 10-week fall season. The games are typically back-to-back (6:30 and 7:45 p.m.)

During the 12-week spring season, the league games replace pickup on Wednesday during those times.

The SABR Adult League plays at several facilities throughout Boca Raton, including University Woodlands, Patch Reef, Sand Pine, Don Estridge Middle School, and Hillsboro El Rio Park.

“It just depends on what youth sports are using and which fields the adults get,” Derken said. “We will list a calendar in Spond, and everyone gets invited once they join. Teams use WhatsApp to communicate for their own teams.”

Delray Beach’s Charley Kale also has been with the Adult program since February when she moved to the area from Ohio. Upon joining the league, she also started handling the social media for the program.

“We have seen a few girls develop a lot over the year and it is really cool to see a team with an 18-year-old and a 40-year-old and they are pretty good,” Kale said. “You can tell that the girls love playing with one another and it is like a social gathering in a sense. Everyone is tired from their days. Then they go to soccer, and they have a good time seeing each other or catching up on the week.”

For more information visit the SABR Adult Program at the webpage: Adult Soccer – Soccer Association of Boca Raton; Instagram: sabr.adult.soccer or the Facebook page: SABR Adult Soccer.

The post There is always room to learn; SABR Adult program also features training and development appeared first on Soccer Association of Boca Raton.