As president of West Windsor-Plainsboro Soccer Association, I’d first like to thank the other members of the WWPSA board of directors, both past and present, for their dedication to help provide a great environment for children in West Windsor, Plainsboro and surrounding towns to play soccer. I’d also like to thank the countless parent and youth volunteers who come out and help coach, referee, set up fields, hand out jerseys, clean up our parks and administer leagues. Without the support of all these volunteers, these soccer leagues, especially at a low cost, would not be possible.
WWPSA is really three separate leagues all in one. We have a travel and elite program for those who choose to play soccer year round. We have a recreation program that is less competitive and really meant for those that want to come out and play, without the same level of commitment, but still the same level of fun. Lastly, we have adult programs year round for those of us who will never give up on playing the beautiful game. These three separate divisions allow us the best serve our mission statement:
“The purpose of the WWPSA is to provide youth and adults with opportunities to learn about and participate in the sport of soccer by offering programs, tournaments and other activities that teach the sport of soccer, the spirit of good sportsmanship and fair play while promoting and encouraging the sport of soccer in a safe and fun environment.”
The travel and elite program has recently partnered with Global Premier Soccer to offer a player pathway for the youth in West Windsor to go from age five to a college or professional player. GPS provides a comprehensive program that is really limitless in its reach. Right now there are players from other GPS New Jersey affiliated clubs who are playing in some of the most prestigious tournaments in the United States and Europe.
These opportunities are now available to players from WWPSA as well as access to their elite coaching methodology through GPS’s partnership with Bayern Munich. Again, this partnership will allow us to cater to all levels of competitive players, those that are really elite and want to play college soccer, and those that are competitive and maybe are not at that level, but still want to play year round and be a part of a team.
The recreation program continues to be a shining star in my mind for the community. We provide programming from ages 3 to 18 in which kids come out on Saturday mornings throughout the spring and fall and play in volunteer run teams and games in a fun and safe environment.
Our new rec director, Ryan Barna, plans to run additional volunteer coaching clinics so that our recreation coaches have better access to best practices as used by some of the best coaches in the area. The recreation program also runs a big brothers big sisters program which allows middle school and high school age kids the chance to volunteer and give back to the community through coaching, refereeing, or just helping out at the parks.
Lastly, our adult programming provides a place for our age 19 and above folks to come out, stay fit, compete and enjoy the game of soccer. In the spring and fall, coed teams are formed for an 8v8 league that plays on Saturday afternoons. It’s really a great environment, as I’ve come and played and brought my kids out to the field as well. In the summer we run a 5v5 league at Duck Pond Park on Wednesday nights, and in the winter we have rented gym space through the schools to keep us moving. I know it can be difficult as a parent to stay active, and what better way than to play soccer.
I, as the WWPSA president, am here to make myself as available as possible to listen to your concerns and to answer your questions.
I would encourage you to email me at soccer@wwpsa.org with your ideas and suggestions on how we can make WWPSA better. Our other board members are equally available to talk to you about your concerns, talk about your ideas to improve the club and to make sure that you are 100 percent informed.
We are all volunteers and are always looking for more of our members to help, so please let us know what you can do to help the WWPSA function at a higher level.
— James Moore, West Windsor
Moore is the president of the West Windsor-Plainsboro Soccer Association.
