Community Corner
Soccer Club Scores Big Numbers This Year
Cedar Grove Soccer Club packs field behind LRP on Saturday.
Since the Cedar Grove Soccer Club has re-emerged in the last two years, it has given an opportunity for young players in town to play during the spring.
The club offers a 10-week spring program and it has set up training sessions for kids from pre-K to eighth grade.
This is the first year for pre-K and 195 participants have already signed up, club president Tim Keegan said.
“When kids in Cedar Grove would go into high school they would be playing against kids that played all year,” club vice president Greg Dilley said. “This will be the first group of kids that when they get to high school will have that same opportunity.”
Find out what's happening in Verona-Cedar Grovewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
On Saturdays, each age group scrimmages for an hour, between 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with 30 volunteer coaches. They also meet for one practice a week where the Red Bulls academy trainers come coach the players.
“There is an interest, we just need to keep up with the demand,” Dilley said as the field behind the Leonard R Parkes School filled up with more than 150 parents and players. “We are trying to bring soccer to the forefront in Cedar Grove.”
Find out what's happening in Verona-Cedar Grovewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
When the club started back up in 2010, it experienced growing pains trying to find places for the club to play.
In the winter, the club played at the South End Elementary School and the First Presbyterian Church.
“We want to have a permanent place where we can hang out banner,” Dilley said, with a laugh.
Keegan said the club is looking to set up a summer session where the kids could play as well.
Membership in the club costs $95 for the 10 weeks. The pre-K fee is $65. Players receive a ball and shirt.
Although the club is a non-profit organization, Dilley said it did break even this year.