By Tom Rohrer
Soccer knows no boundaries, as the sport is obsessed over by people all across the world, regardless of social, cultural and environmental factors of the area.
A sport of epic complexity combined with a comforting simplicity, soccer is the world’s most popular game and has developed a severe and dedicated following in the Thurston County area.
The area features a variety of youth and adult leagues that generate enormous participation throughout the year.
One of those leagues is Liga Azteca F.S.A, an all year Hispanic soccer association that features teams and players from the Thurston County area and surrounding communities.
Around twelve-to-fourteen teams participate in the various seasons held throughout the year, and most games are played at Pioneer Park in Olympia. Teams from county’s like Grays Harbor, Mason and Lewis participate in the league.
The League is operated by Rosendo Silva and Marcos Cruz, both from the Centralia/Chehalis area, with Silva holding his position for the last five-to-six years.
“I think the league has really developed over the last couple of years, but there has always been a lot of passion, a lot of participation,” Silva said. “It’s something we are really proud of.”
Games are held at Pioneer Park every Sunday, with official United Soccer Federation referees, and the game-day experience features a festive and friendly environment coupled with the fierce competition on the field.
A food-vendor truck is on site throughout the day, along with gigantic speakers that blare music and announcements out to the hundreds of family, friends and fans in attendance.
“We’ve always wanted to have a family friendly environment and have that family style atmosphere,” Silva noted. “I think it’s definitely at that point and is sort of a tradition for people to come out to.”
The non-profit organization is able to rent the fields through the Thurston County Parks and Recreation Department. Started early in the last decade, the league, and the soccer fields at the park, were pushed into existence by the deceased Andy Gertz, who Silva says was vital to the structure of the league today.
“He put a lot of effort towards building up the field and just to push Latino soccer up in the area,” Silva said. “We want to continue to run the league properly as a dedication to him.”
While a majority of the league’s players are in their early twenties to thirties, team’s invite teenagers 16 years and older to participate and help take their skills to the next level.
“One of the biggest things about the league is that it really helps the younger players develop,” Silva said. “They not only gain more skills and experience, but they gain more confidence playing against the older guys. This helps them learn how to play, and harness their talent.”
However, the high level of competiveness in league games is not for the faint of heart.
“The games get heated, the players have a lot of pride for their team, for their families and communities,” Silva said. “It’s intense, but that’s how the games should be played.”
That competiveness does not always carry over to the sidelines following games.
“On the field, it’s business for the players, they want to win,” Silva said. “But after, there is a lot of interaction, hand-shaking and friendly attitudes. It’s a competitive game, but it’s still a game.”
While participation in the league has stayed at similar levels throughout the last ten years, Silva believes the level of competition has increased.
“Statistically, there is always about the same amount of players,” Silva said. “But it’s become obvious to me that the competition and the level of play has increased. The higher skill, it’s more fun to watch and play in.”
Players join teams through word of mouth and contact with coaches, and no tryouts are held to form teams. Silva is comfortable with the leagues growth over the last few years and now is trying to maintain stability for the organization.
“I think we have reached a stable level of participation, and we’re not necessarily trying to grow, we just want to maintain what we’re doing at a high level,” Silva said. “We are working on creating an official league website to help notify people of events or tournaments. But we’ve got a great thing going on here, and the atmosphere and facilities show that.”
For more information on Liga Azteca F.S.A., call Rosendo Silva at 360.736.4156 or email mendzsr7@msn.com.
