Rockville Centre soccer players prep for fall season

Many of Rockville Centre's soccer players geared up for the upcoming fall season by participating in a NOGA-run community camp during the week of Aug. 16.

NOGA -- an athletic organization that promotes and facilitates soccer development -- organized the community camp for young players and travel teams during a five-day summer session in the village, and it generated a large response with local children and teenagers taking part in drills and games in preparation for the numerous Labor Day tournaments and the varsity high school soccer kickoff event at Skelos Sports Complex on Sept. 14, the official opening of the Rockville Centre soccer season.

The community camps -- which attracted younger, beginning players -- met in the morning from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Skelos Sports Complex, and the travel teams of more advanced soccer players gathered each day in the afternoon and evening.

NOGA, which stands for No Other Game Around, provided trained international soccer coaches to run the sessions, and Rockville Centre families played the role of home caretakers by housing the coaches from abroad.

“The coach our family housed was a true gentlemen,” said Rockville Centre resident Jean Harris, whose 10-year old son participated in the community camp. “He was very gracious and talkative. There was honestly little adjustment at all in having him stay at our house for the week because he fit right in.”

The coaches came from countries such as Scotland, Ireland and England to help instruct the players, and NOGA’s training program prepared each coach to teach children of any age and learning level during the summer camp and travel team sessions.

“NOGA’s presence in the village is very strong,” said Harris. “The kids had a blast this summer. There’s no reason to think the camp and travel teams wouldn’t continue next year.”

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