European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 21, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse Wednesday september 21,1977 the stars and stripes Page 9 All i m interested in is getting kids running up and Down the Field chasing a soccer Ball Brig. Gen. Victor a. Defiori said As he watched these 6 and 8-year-old children play. Heidelberg Community has 535 playing . Kids get their biggest kicks out of soccer Story and photos by Jim Coles Iii staff writer Heidelberg is soccer the world s most played sport has replaced baseball or football As the most popular game among the youth of the american Community Here said two Neil shun Deputy soccer commissioner for the Day at a Kickoff ceremony for the league Here. He said 535 children aged 6 through 18 Are taking part in the program which is in its seventh year. The league currently has 36 teams three of which Are mixed German and american. Brig. Gen. Victor a. Defiori the local soccer commissioner said All i m inter ested in is getting kids running up an Down the Field chasing a soccer Ball. It s a Fine sport for the average kid. You Don thave to be big or especially coordinated to play and have a Good Defiori s Job As Usa eur staff judge advocate takes up most of his time so shun spends Long hours getting the million and one details of a league this size set up. I work a regular Day at my office then spend till late at night working on this. But it has paid off he said. We have tremendous Community sup port. Each team has a coach at least one assistant and Volunteer parents to he added that worldwide More than 100 million people Are currently playing soccer. More than 500,000 people in Europe Are refereeing and no one knows for sure How Many play in but the big thing is that the kids Are enjoying it. He said the program was the brainchild of it. Col. Bob Allen who re turned to the . Two years ago. Accord ing to shun Allen started with 30 children enough for two teams. It took off slowly but during the last four years we be seen huge growth like 80 kids a year. This year we be reached our saturation Point because we Only have nine Fields and models vote Hiccup strike Bologna Italy a models at Bologna s Academy of Fine arts have voted to pose for Only one minute at a time and strike for four in support of their demand for a work contract. The models Union said the Hiccup strike would last for the rest of the school year unless a contract is Given it the models now Are paid by the hour and have no con tract. They re in full use. We even have kids on the waiting list because we Don t have room enough for them shun kids play in leagues based on age groups starting with the 6-year-Olds. Little Mike Flores 6, son of spec. 5 Michael Flores said i just like to kick the Ball and run and laughed i just like Karen Brink 7, whose father capt. Gary Brink was helping out the coach said i like it. I Hope they have teams in America where i can her Mother Jan said we let Karen play because she likes it. We re not afraid that Shell get Hurt be cause it s a Good game for kids and i Hope it keeps growing Here and in the soccer apparently is growing in popular Ity among Many americans in Europe especially those under age 20. Shun said that a three City league is a Strong possibility but that whether a league is formed or not his kids will play teams from Worms and Stuttgart this year. He said Ramstein a also has a Strong children s soccer pro Gram. While Defiori and shun Are administrators the Day to Day work is done by people such As maj. Pete Bond a coach. He said i be Only been Here about two months but my boy is a player in the 6-year-old group. I really enjoy watching him and All the other kids. It s a Good game for Andre Allgauer a former footballer in German semipro leagues has been coach ing the kids since 1970. He said i thought i d do it for a laugh. Everyone knew Amer ican kids could t play soccer. But then after i saw How hard they tried i promised them that we d win and we Are. It s More fun working with the Ameri can kids because their parents get really involved. More than German parents his Friend and rival coach Volker Bau Mann has been with the league since 1972. He said when i came there were about 120 children. Now there Are just hundreds. The Little ones Are great fun and they make up in heart what they Lack in shun said he almost closed off team membership at 15 kids per team but that so Many kids wanted to play he has Al Lowed 16 or 17 per team. But that s too Many. The logistics of it Are just awful. Each kid buys his own uniform through us and getting the right size uniforms and proper team colors for 500 kids is a night Mare. Also we Don t have enough Field areas to let them All the area German teams Are coming to the Rescue however. We play at least 30 Friendship games a year and 1 Don t know How Many joint practices. It adds some thing to the practice to play against some one else. Also our older kids play in the German leagues shun said. Unlike basketball baseball and Ameri can football soccer May be played virtually year round indoors or out. The Heidelberg leagues will play outdoors for about two More months then move indoors to a Field roughly twice the size of a basketball court for Winter play and then return to the Sod for their Spring season which lasts until the end of May. After a Short Layoff the players will begin practice again next july. According to the Day soccer program Rule Book a $12 registration fee and the Cost of shorts shirt and shoes Are the Only fees to Parent and child. Defiori said we the army put up about $20,000 for the program this year. That covered All expenses except the kids uniforms. I believe it works out to be the least expensive sport a youngster can get game official Mike Flores signals the end of play after an infraction. Children 6 through 18 Are taking part in the soccer program
