Could someone fill me in on where to go to join a team or league playing indoor or outdoor soccer? I just moved out here and am looking to get on a team. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks. And yes, I did buy Quakes season tix. No worries.
The SBASL site is actually at SBASL.com ... that freeservers site should've been dismantled years ago. I'll redirect it to the proper place - mk. **DONE. Re-directed to the correct location. mk**
Also, if you are interested, there are a plethora of pick-up games in the south bay - check out this site for locations: Bay Area Pick-up games Back when I was younger, I used to play a fair amount of pickup soccer, and there are some really fun games out there.
There is also the PAASL, where I play. It is much easier to play if you are a Palo Alto resident (or have a friend who does), but people in other cities can play as well. It is a low pressure league, without team standings or try outs or practice or games that actually look like soccer (although it does sneek though on occasion). You have a month before the winter/spring season starts. www.paasl.org
What's best for out of shape wusses like me who can barely run five minutes without collapsing, but want to get better? Oh, and who have no soccer skills and no experience since age 10?
PAASL used to be a pretty low level league, but it has gotten a bit better in recent years. But there is always a place for people with enthusiasm (and who actually show up - I don't think I played on a team with 11 people this entire last season). My first day playing PAASL was the first day I ever played soccer on a regulation field. Trust me - outside defender is a great place to learn if you are limited in skills or running ability. The offside trap is God's gift to slow backs. sangreazul, you rock.
Here is some info on a league that I was in last spring. I'm hardly in shape but I still had a good work out and had lots of fun. Check them out on the web. www.playcaa.org/mensdivision/mensdivsion.html Or contact David Favela 408-363-1871 or e-mail caasports@sbcglobal.net They are always looking for more people. Right now I think there are four teams.
I'm in exactly the same position you're in. I think I'll sign up for PAASL for the spring (starting February, gives me a bit of time to start running and try to get in shape).
How about for the East Bay'ers? Maybe in the Concord/Pittsburg/Antioch area. There are some nice fields around here.
Probably a good move. I played PAASL "A" for a few years in the 90s. You can play "A" or "B" (and I think there may be subdivisions of those now), "A" being the higher skill level. Typical "A" teams have a few good players, and even though the teams are reshuffled every season, some core groups of players request to stick together. I had played high-level comp in Peninsula League before that, and appreciated the more low-key, fun approach of PAASL after I turned 30. Spejic mentioned all the nuances, and for people in questionable shape, PAASL's nice because it has open subs. Although, as Spejic also mentioned, it can suck when some of your teammates don't show up and you're short subs, especially on hot days. On the other hand, if you're a "soccer whore", you'll love PAASL, because you can pretty much play all day (there are always teams that need subs). But because there are no practices and no coaches, one thing missing from most PAASL games is any sort of rhythmic flow. Unless something's changed, the fields at that middle school are absolutely heinous. One of my favorite memories of those fields (Field 3, IIRC) was one time when there was a sinkhole on the field, circular in shape and about 4 feet in diameter and a few feet deep. We had to play, so they stuck a big plastic garbage can upside down in the sinkhole, and we played around it, even though the bottom of the garbage can stuck about a foot above ground level. Gave the match a bumper pool effect.
East Bay, if you are over 30, www.ebotsoccer.com is a great league, friendly, good people, based in Piedmont tho, so its a trip if you are coming from Pittsburgh. I played in EBOTs for a couple of seasons (I'm coaching youth soccer now), it's coed, and a nice mixture of people and skill levels. There is an indoor facility in Vallejo, http://www.pacsportscenter.com. I've never played there. Also Bladium on the island of Alameda. Tony