‘Everything is soccer; it’s our whole world’

Not having the required field permits and a lack of community support two years ago forced a group of Hispanic women soccer players in Inwood to abandon the team they had played on for four years.

However, last month, the more than 25 women came together again in an effort to revive women’s soccer in Inwood. “It’s fun and it’s great exercise,” said Idalia Cruz, an El Salvador native who has lived in Inwood for seven years. “But it’s become something more serious.”

Many of the women not only enjoy the exercise but also how soccer connects them to their native countries. Veronica Reyes, who came from Guatemala, has called Inwood home for the past five years and said soccer is huge where she was born. “I’ve played soccer since I was a little girl,” she said. “In my country, everything is soccer; it’s our whole world.”

What’s different for the women this time around is that they have sought support from the Lawrence-based Five Towns Community Center and its board members Peter Sobol, Juan Zepeda and Youth Soccer Program Director Felipe Plaza. The community center has allowed the team to use its soccer equipment and enables them to practice for three hours every Saturday on its soccer fields.

Plaza, who is one of the team’s current coaches along with Zepeda, said the only requirement for each of the women on the team is that they must live in Nassau County and attend Hispanic Association meetings, an organization that meets at the community center once a month. “It benefits the women greatly because it’s three hours they are able to forget about being a mom, having a job and it’s a great way to relieve stress,” he said. “Many of these women have two or three children and are still out there playing. Hopefully the community will see that if they can do it, anyone can.”

Reyes, a mother of two, ignores any problems she’s experiencing when she steps onto the soccer field. “It gets me out of the house and I’m able to leave my worries behind,” she said. “Hopefully my children will one day play soccer as well.”

Cedarhurst resident and Guatemalan native Consuelo Lopez enjoys the team atmosphere and community support. “We help one another so we never feel alone,” she said. “Hopefully by having this group, it opens other women’s eyes, especially those who have been mentally abused by their husbands. They need to know that there are women out there who care about each other in every aspect of their lives.”

In the future, the women hope to have a fully established league with more members. “We want to have more events for the whole community,” Lopez said. “We want to unite the community and fight as one.”

Plaza looks forward to seeing the team membership thrive. “My hopes are for them to get what they want out of it and to get others involved,” he said. “It’s not just a team, it’s a family.”

For more information about joining the team or donating equipment or money, email Felipe Plaza at FPlaza@FiveTownsmail.org.