Wareham Youth Soccer kicks off a new season

Sep 18, 2021

On Saturday, the Wareham Youth Soccer fields on Charlotte Furnace Road were once again bustling with young players and families cheering from the sidelines. 

President Bob Catarius said registration is up this year, with 120 players filling every available spot. 

“It’s wonderful to be out here,” Catarius said. 

Now that covid restrictions have been lifted, no one needs to wear a mask while playing.

Teams practice a few times during the week, and games happen each weekend.

“This doesn’t happen without volunteer coaches,” Catarius said.

In addition to parent volunteers, a number of high school players who came up through the Wareham Youth Soccer travel program help out each week by serving as a referee or helping to guide the youngest players.

“The best thing is the high school kids come back,” said Sam Araujo, a coach and the father of Arman Araujo, who was refereeing several games on Saturday.

“It’s fun to see the kids get bigger,” said Luke Wiley, a Wareham High senior, who has been volunteering for several years. 

While kids played, parents cheered them on: “Get the ball!” called one, to which a little girl replied, “I’m trying!”

The youngest soccer players on the field Saturday were 4 years old. Catarius led their practice, which included warm-ups that combined classic techniques like running or extending one’s arms and moving them in small circles with, for example, moo-ing like a cow or clucking like a chicken, much to the kids’ delight. 

The first few weeks of the program are about helping kids learn basic skills like dribbling. Scrimmages start several weeks in once the youngest players have a basic grasp of what’s going on.

While the home teams are full, tryouts for spring travel teams will be held on Oct. 3.