SYRACUSE - "Soccer in the Streets," a national non-profit organization that has worked with over 100,000 kids across the United States, is coming to Syracuse, thanks in part to the Syracuse Salty Dogs, the city's new A-League team.
"We'd like to be able to introduce more and more children, particularly through this program, to the great game of soccer," said Laurie Calloway, coach of the Salty Dogs. "We're proud and happy to be a part of this program."
"Soccer in the Streets" will run from June 30 through August 15 at Barry Park, West End Park and the Dunbar Center in the city of Syracuse. In addition to the Salty Dogs, program sponsors include Saturn of Syracuse, Sherman Furniture, Image Press, Select Apparel and the Syracuse Parks and Recreation Department.
"In this city, I've come to find in the last few weeks that everyone knows how to handle a ball with their hands," said Coach Calloway, referring to the recent national championship won by the Syracuse University men's basketball team. "Obviously basketball is a huge part of this community. We're going to try to teach kids how to handle a ball with their feet and introduce them to what is truly the number one sport in the world."
In addition to helping kids stay fit and healthy, soccer can open other doors as well.
"Soccer actually paved my way to go to college and get my education," said Tommy Tanner, Dogs' player/assistant coach. "It's made a career for me for the last 13 years, playing soccer. It's been the biggest part of my life."
Tanner, a Syracuse native, attended Henninger High School before moving on to North Carolina State University. His professional experience includes seven seasons with the A-League's Rochester Rhinos and 10 seasons with the Cleveland Crunch of the MISL.
"Soccer is a participation sport," Tanner replied when asked about the benefits of the game for youngsters. "The kids are always moving … and they're staying out of the streets and away from trouble. We [the team] are more than happy to come and help them."
The coach observed that in soccer, teams don't have multiple timeouts or huddles in which a coach can exert much influence while the game is in progress. Thus, soccer players must develop a strong team-centered ethic, an esprit d' corps, which can help kids later in life. And, as the game is played around the world, soccer offers great opportunity for inter-cultural interaction and education. "It's a very international sport, perhaps more so than any other, and there are [opportunities] for international travel and cultural exchanges," Calloway said.
