PW Soccer Club Raises Funds To Battle Budget Cuts

Port Washington Soccer Club did more than just host a live screening of Team USA's opening World Cup match versus England on the big screen in the Sousa Elementary School gymnasium on Saturday. The dedicated directors and members of the soccer club raised more than $2,500 for the high school and middle school soccer teams that were cut from the 2010-11 school budget.

Pam Matinale, the registrar for the Port Washington Soccer Club, said she wanted to ensure that her children and many other children within the district have the opportunity to play at the high school level, and that raising this money was the only way to do so.

"The Port Washington Soccer Club wanted to raise money to be sure our kids could play in high school," Matinale said. "And this was the perfect opportunity."

When the 2010-11 school budget was passed in May, $40,000 worth of after-school sports programs, including the freshman JV 2 soccer team at Schreiber High School, were cut. Matinale said that giving added publicity to the World Cup in turn gave added publicity to the need for funding to keep all the soccer teams around at the high school and middle school level. "Things like the Super Bowl and the baseball playoffs get a lot of recognition," she said. "Soccer needs the same. So we put this event together, and so far it's going really well."

Matinale added that the Port Washington Soccer Club was able to raise $2,700, minus expenses, through the event.

"Our hope was to get the kids excited about the World Cup soccer tournament as well as raise money for the high school and middle school soccer teams being cut by the school budget," event coordinator Jane Stevens said in an e-mail.

Skip Stern, vice president of the Port Washington Soccer Club, said he was happy about the turnout for the event, and that his main goal was to make sure the screening and the festivities surrounding it were as fun as possible.

Local establishments such as Ralph's Italian Ices and Bad Bob's sponsored the event by providing ices and barbecue for the kids and parents at the screening.  Several members of the New York Islanders also made an appearance, and the Spanish-language television station, Univision, was there to broadcast the event.

"It's a big event, and the kids are really having a good time," Stern said. "My son is older, but he plays intramural soccer. It's a really great game, and the kids have fun."

Nine-year-old Anthony Lensman, who was one of the many kids participating in scrimmages on the soccer field, said he was upset to hear the soccer teams were being cut from the budget.

"I used to only like baseball, but now I love soccer, too." said Lensman, who has been playing soccer for two years. "I get to run around with my friends — and score goals. I'm going to be sad if there are no more teams for me to play on. I'd miss it."

Eleven-year-old Teresa Hutton only started playing on her sixth-grade team this year and said she was unhappy to learn that she might not be able to play once she reached the JV 2 level.

"My team is so awesome," she said with a smile. "I've made so many friends, and I've gotten really good at soccer. I hope I can play next year. But if I can't, I'll still practice everyday."