Soccer boom

Tournament fuels young girls' passion for soccer

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Posted: Wednesday July 07, 1999 08:59 PM

Red, white and youth: Julia Mergendoller (left) and Marissa Parrinello are just two of a countless number of girls that think it's cool to kick. AP

TORRANCE, California (AP) -- Brittany Stevens jumps into the air and fearlessly heads a soccer ball. Around her, girls in blue jerseys and white shorts practice their dribbling and long kicks in a windswept park near the Pacific Ocean.

The 12-year-old from Torrance was introduced to soccer five years ago by her mother.

"She said it would be good for me because I like to kick things," Stevens said. "You're in the game to have fun and not just for competition. It's fun to be aggressive, roll in the mud and slide."

Stevens is part of a new generation of young, female fans united in their passion for soccer. The enthusiasm has been heightened this summer by the United States' quest for the Women's World Cup title.

The kids' soccer boom has been under way for a decade. Interest among girls spiked after the 1996 Olympics, when the United States defeated China for the first women's soccer gold medal.

The United States won the 1991 Women's World Cup, but did so in China, a victory that barely registered a blip on U.S. television. The trophy chase this year has been nationally televised on home turf in front of sellout crowds.

"The girls are seeing there's an opportunity," said Mike Nelson, a regional coordinator and coach of American Youth Soccer Organization teams in Torrance.

"The interest has been there, there just hasn't been the opportunity for it to manifest itself," said Susan Reed, senior editor of Women's Sports and Fitness magazine.

"There's a joy and passion that these women really convey that is infectious and that girls can relate to."

The United States plays China for the championship Saturday at the Rose Bowl. A sellout crowd of more than 88,000 is expected.

"I want to be a soccer player after watching the tournament. It has inspired me," said 11-year-old Ye Pei of Devon, Penn. "My favorite player is the Chinese goalie because she is so athletic."

The zeal of the players is often matched by the fervor of the fans. Several thousand young girls and women dyed their hair red-white-and-blue, painted American flags on their faces and followed the team around the country.

"This team has become so popular with mainstream America, not just the soccer fans," U.S. coach Tony DiCicco said. "They're such a wonderful group of women that once people got to know them, it's just steamrolled. It's awesome to see."

Of the 8.6 million soccer players in the United States, 2.5 million are girls, according to 1999 figures from the AYSO National Support and Training Center in Hawthorne.

Jamie Loney and Laura Adams, both from Pleasanton, grin and sweat behind the American flags painted on their faces as they cheer at the World Cup quarterfinals between Norway and Sweden.

"Girls rule! Boys drool! Soccer's cool!" the 11-year-olds chanted.

"I think about how hard they had to work to get there," Loney said. "Maybe it's unusual for girls our age to be so into sports, but when I look at the players, I just know it's something I want to do when I get older."

 

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