Soccer:
Questions and Answers
Question: Where can you buy soccer gear in NW Connecticut?
THAT is a darned good question!! If there is one question we are asked more frequently than any other, this is it.
Well, after looking as far away as Torrington (without success, we might add, except at WalMart just before the Fall soccer season), recently we found a place in the Northwest Corner that sells cleats, shin guards, and soccer socks.
That place is Bob's Clothing and Shoes right on the main drag in Canaan!
The address is 80 Main Street, and the phone number is (860)824-7197.
They tell us that they carry soccer boots, shin guards, and sox all year around, so you can get them there whether you're getting geared up for Spring Soccer, or one of the Summer Soccer opportunities in our area, or Fall Soccer, or if you suddenly discover that the shoes that fit perfectly at the beginning of the season now are distinctly painful to wear.
We took a look at what they had in inventory and observed that the color schemes are limited to good old Berkshire United black and white, but that they had several different cleat styles and several different shoe styles as well. No, they don't pay us for this referral.
Other possibilities you might want to consider as fallbacks if you strike out at Bob's:
--The Bike Doctor in Canaan is said to have carried soccer cleats. There's a sign in their window -- or the window where they used to be -- saying they've moved. We don't know where they moved to, but it might be worth following up if you cannot get what you need at Bob's.
--WalMart in Torrington carries soccer cleats, but as a seasonal item only -- in other words just before the beginning of fall soccer season.
For other soccer gear (balls, etc.) we believe that you will need to go to the web -- or else drive a pretty decent distance -- to get what you are looking for. The nearest large vendors we've been able to confirm, for example, are in Avon, more than an hour from most of the NW Corner area.
When we use the web, www.soccer.com is the web supplier that we mainly use, and they have been good for us. It's worth it to buy from them once just to get on the mailing list for their print catalog, we think.
However, there are certainly lots of other web vendors out there, and for more specialized items they may be the only hope. Google "soccer gear" or "soccer equipment" and you'll be amazed how many vendors there are. We welcome hearing about your experiences with particular vendors, whether locally or on the web. Because soccer vendors are so scarce in our area we'll be adding a list of web vendors and our experience with them here soon. You input will help.
Question: How many different teams can I play for during the same soccer season?
We get this question surprisingly often. It's a harder question than you might think, and may be open to interpretation. But here's our best shot at an answer for the age group around grades 6-8. We welcome additional information or corrections on this, particularly as things change.
Very likely, you CAN play on a public elementary school team and a rec team during the same season. Confirm this with both your town Rec director AND your school coach, however.
You CANNOT play both rec soccer and travel soccer (i.e. Berkshire United) during the same season.
We'll be adding to (and amending as necessary) this answer as we hear from you and hear about your own personal experiences trying to play for more than one team at the same time.
Question: How much does it cost to play for Berkshire United?
A participation fee is charged for each player, although the club makes a very sincere effort to keep costs down and to be affordable for all who really have the desire to play competitive soccer. Current charges per season are:
1 player in a family: $75
2 players in a family: $140
3 players in a family: $200
4 players or more in a family -- no additional charge
Players are required to purchase uniforms ($65 at last notice, but they last forever and tend to be handed down repeatedly). It is important to register in a timely manner -- there's a stiff penalty fee for registering late, and you may be closed out entirely, especially for the Fall season, if you don't get your registration in on time.
Question: I hear so much about bad sportsmanship in soccer! Is that true of soccer in NW Connecticut?
In the townships that make up Region I (Kent, Cornwall, Sharon, Canaan, North Canaan, and Salisbury) sportsmanship tends to be excellent at all levels, and outbursts by players, coaches, and parents are very rare. Teams tend to exhibit teamwork at a level that is appropriate for the ages involved.
Standards are not as high, however, in all the towns neighboring Region I. We'll not go any further than that. However, if you're viewing this page, you probably already live in Region I or are planning to, so presumably this will be evident to you only for at most one game per season, and not for all teams at that.
Question: Where can I find some more really good soccer links?
One place we recommend -- and one with very close ties to soccer in our immediate area -- is the website of the Connecticut Girls' Soccer Coaches Association.
They've got a whole page of links to almost any kind of soccer resource you might need. They also recognize outstanding female high school soccer players throughout Connecticut, so being listed among their All-Connecticut selections is a distinction definitely to be aspired to.
Question: Who are you and why do you maintain this soccer page?
This is the "who put you in charge?" question, and the answer is that nobody did; furthermore, we're not in charge -- as if being in charge of all of soccer in our area was even possible! We did, however, realize that there are a lot more questions out there about soccer in Connecticut's Northwest Corner than there are convenient answers. We like the sport and we're committed to the area, so that's why this page is here.
There's more biographical information available on our "dot com" website if you're really interested.
Want to go back to our main Soccer in NW Connecticut page?
Equestrian activities in NW CT
Between the Lakes Group newsletter
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