For Fun of the Game: Kids, Adults Enjoy Pick-Up Soccer at Wheelock Fields [Video]

Catherine Callahan loves to play soccer and thanks to some like-minded community organizers, she can join a weekly pick-up game all summer long.

On July 5, Catherine, age 9, was one of 30 children – and adults – of all ages who stopped by the Ralph Wheelock Elementary School for a little summer soccer pick-me-up.

“I thought it was really fun,” said Catherine, who has been playing soccer for several years. “I liked how we mixed up the teams. I just like playing soccer.”

The program started last summer when families and children of all ages were invited to drop by with a soccer ball, water and bug spray for a few minutes or a few hours. 

This year’s coordinator John Beaudoin said the program is not under any one person's or any entity's direction and people are invited to play at their own as if it was a neighborhood backyard game.

Beaudoin said the idea originated with Greg Peterson with the hope of having a pickup game with children from one or two grades at a time.  Beaudoin said there were seldom enough people to have a game last summer so entire families were invited to participate with children of all ages and that increased the numbers from 15 to 60 each week.

The purpose of the casual soccer program, said Beaudoin, is to “give children an opportunity to play ‘the beautiful game’ in a low-pressure environment in order to maintain and advance their skills while having fun. Other cultures and countries play pick-up soccer in their neighborhoods, but wiffleball and other American sports tend to dominate neighborhood play here. ‘Pick-Up Soccer’ is meant to provide that neighborhood feel that is missing in our area.”

Children are divided into teams based on size, age, gender or shirt color, etc. Parents are invited to attend but are also encouraged to let the children be the focus of these just-for-fun games.

The purpose of the weekly gatherings is to keep children active during the summer. 

“Benefits for kids include being social, getting out of the house, getting the blood flowing, trying new soccer skills and sharpening old ones, and learning that life is better spent among people and green grass than playing and watching electronic video screens,” said Beaudoin.

The pickup game is a perfect match for Catherine.

“I like to play with my friends and to play with different people and meet different people,” she said. 

When asked if she would come back for another game this summer, she responded with an enthusiastic “definitely” – and that is what the program is all about.

Games are held at Wheelock School soccer fields, green gate, starting at 6 p.m. and lasting until there are not enough team members remaining.

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