Adult Sports Leagues Wrap Record Season With Plans To Expand

This summer, township sports are all the rage. In addition to kids playing in summer leagues, their parents are getting in on the action, and doing it more than ever before.

According to Mahwah recreation Committee Director Harry Williams, “we actually have a waiting list now,” for adults that want to play Mahwah’s summer softball and soccer leagues.

The men’s softball league has grown to eight teams, and has about 130 registered players between the ages of 21 and 69. The adult soccer league, which was only in its third season this year, had 96 residents play.

“The soccer program is still growing,” Williams said. “We’ve gone from 60 people to 96 in just two years.”

The one summer sport still looking to pick up more steam is women’s softball, which has about 30 participants who played on two teams this year. In the future, Williams said the Rec Committee is looking into combining the women’s softball program with that of another town’s to increase the number of teams in the league.

But, overall, with about 260 Mahwah adults playing summer sports, Williams said the program is a “big success. We have a lot of people who are doing this.”

The popularity of the program is due mostly to its overarching philosophy about community, he said. “This is a way to meet your neighbors,” Williams said. “Every year, the names [of people participating] are reorganized and new teams are formed in each league, that way you get to meet new people. It’s so important to have a way to feel that sense of community, especially in a town as geographically large as Mahwah.”

Though this season wrapped earlier this month, residents already have reason to be excited for next summer. Because of the program’s success, the Committee is looking into adding a tennis program into the mix next year, he said.

Now that summer play is over, players are gearing up for winter leagues. The wintertime basketball and volleyball leagues are less organized, Williams said. “We reserve gym space for pickup basketball and volleyball games,” he said. “And we are having a lot of people participate in those too.”

Registration for adult sports for the winter season, which runs from September to May, begins this September.

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