Question:  Where can you buy soccer gear in NW Connecticut?

Your reporter has visited Stadium System, Inc.'s new retail sporting goods store in Canaan, next to Lindell's, and is pleased to say that for most people this problem is solved.

What had previously been their sideline business imprinting tee-shirts, warm-ups, etc. (both Berkshire United and Trinity Lime Rock get their tee-shirts and uniforms there) has grown to become a full-service sporting goods store. 

Yes, they do have soccer boots (several different models) and socks and shin guards (although I did not see any adult-sized shin guards), as well as balls, warm-ups, and even field gear.  They also have UnderArmour products, New Balance athletic shoes, and a variety of attire and gear for other sports as well, including lacrosse, football, baseball and general fitness.

We're glad to see this venerable local business responding to this real community need, and we hope many of you will stop by and patronize them.  The staff are both knowledgeable and genial, and it is a pleasure to do business with them.

Other possibilities you might want to consider as fallbacks, or if you want something not carried by Stadium Systems:

--Soccer and Beyond in Canton, CT.  The owner has been working on making soccer grow in NW CT for the past several years.  Why not visit their website, at www.soccerandbeyond.com where they also have a bulletin board of soccer doings.

-Saperstein's, over the state line in Millerton, NY, is also said to stock soccer cleats and socks.  We've not been there, so if it's true, please let us know so we can add them to the list of vendors.

For other soccer gear (a wider selection of balls, etc.) we believe that you will need to go to the web -- or else drive a pretty long distance -- to get what you are looking for.  The nearest large vendors we've been able to confirm, for example, are in Avon and Pittsfield, MA, more than an hour from most of the NW Corner area.

When we use the web, the first place we look, even for soccer gear, is Amazon.com.  Yes, they have soccer boots!  Furthermore, their selection, while limited, usually includes affordable brand-name cleats -- including big mark-downs on boots that would be considered very expensive, in unusual sizes -- that are great for kids whose feet are still growing. 

If your needs are more complex,  www.soccer.com is another web supplier that we 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.  Finally Sator Soccer has items in their catalog we've not seen elsewhere.  They've been very helpful to us as well.

There are certainly lots of other web vendors out there, and for more specialized items they may be the only hope.  We welcome hearing about your experiences with particular vendors, whether locally or on the web.  You input will help everyone.

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 4-6.  We welcome additional information or corrections on this, particularly as things change.

Very likely, you CAN play on a public elementary school team (usually they start at grade 6) and a rec team during the same season.  Confirm this with both your town Rec director AND your school coach, however.  Especially noteworthy is that rec soccer stops once a young person turns 12.  Only school soccer and Berkshire United remain as alternatives.

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.  The charge for the Spring 2008 season was $75 per player.  (Please note that Berkshire United is being reorganized as Northwest United Soccer Club.)

Players are required to purchase uniforms ($65 at last notice, but they last forever and tend to be handed down repeatedly.)   It is really important to register in a timely manner and get all your paperwork in on time -- the late registration/late paperwork fees START at $40 and go up from there -- and you can definitely be closed out entirely, especially for the Fall season, if you don't get your registration and all the supporting paperwork completed on time.  Note that the charges change season by season, but this is the general range you can expect to find them in.  Their registration process is largely on-line from their website.

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 inappropriate 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; and 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 easy-to-find answers.  We like the sport and we're committed to the area, so that's why this page is here.  We thank all of you who in the past contributed information, and we encourage you to continue.  And, we very much welcome your feedback!

There's more biographical information available on our "dot com" website if you're really interested.

Between the Lakes Group has several websites.  Use the links to navigate them